Presumed Dead
by EJonna
Summary: Two years after EJ DiMera's death, his ex-wife Nicole Walker also meets an untimely end. Hardly any significance to those who knew them considering they hated each other. However, one former Salemite holds a heavily-guarded secret capable of shattering everything once believed to be true. After an unexpected security breach, Kristen DiMera desperately races to keep her secret safe.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_Body of EJ DiMera Found. Foul Play Suspected_. That was the headline of the _Salem Spectator_ two years ago, tucked inside the first section of the Sunday paper in it's usual spot near the celebrity birthdays and horoscopes. Today's headline had some more unfortunate news concerning another Salem citizen: _Death of TV Reporter Nicole Walker Ruled Homicide_

The woman reading the paper let out a maniacal chuckle as her hands furiously began tearing it to shreds which she left in a pile on the ground right outside the Salem airport's newsstand where she purchased it, leaving several spectators curiously looking to each other for some sort of explanation as to her strange behavior. The blonde-haired woman attempted to collect herself, taking a deep breath and smoothing down the lower region of her form-fitting black mini-dress as she strode in 4-inch spiked patent-leather heels toward the exit where her driver awaited her curb-side just outside.

"Welcome back to Salem, Ms. DiMera," Ralph, the driver of the sleek, black luxury car said as he opened the door for his employer as expected. Typically Kristen DiMera was nothing put pleasant with her staff but today she didn't even offer a simple smile as she climbed into the car. He didn't know for sure her exact reason for returning to Salem, but he supposed it most likely was to tie up some loose ends after the recent death of her father, Stefano DiMera. He supposed he himself may be one of those loose ends since the DiMEra mansion had been practically vacant for the last two years. Soon after EJ's death, his widow hastily remarried and moved from the mansion. Stefano and Kristen decided to permanently relocate to Italy and even though the mansion was used only occasionally when one or both remaining DiMera's returned to Salem for a visit, they had kept a full staff running their former homestead in their absence. In the last year when Stefano's health had begun it's steady decline, Kristen had only been back once. She had expressed at the time how much she loved Italy and that there was nothing left for her in Salem. He supposed that wasn't entirely true since he was quite sure she still had feelings for Mr. Black, even though Mr. Black had clearly moved on with Ms. Walker. _Oh dear, that's it,_ Ralph thought to himself._ She must have heard the news of Ms. Walker's death and now she's come to see Mr. Black._ He quickly shook the idea from his head and began to focus on his task. It was not appropriate for him to make such assumptions. If Ms. DiMera decides to share her intentions for returning to Salem, splendid. If not, so be it. He was not one to take part on the gossip concerning his employers which seemed to run rampant among his fellow staff members.

He climbed into the car and immediately checked his rear-view mirror. Kristen's face was intense with what he supposed was anger. Her cheeks were bright red and she was making every attempt to keep her breathing under control as she rocked back and forth anxiously in her seat. Although he was almost afraid to ask, out of politeness he began to ask if she was alright. Before he could mutter the first syllable, she spoke.

"Have you seen this morning's headline, Ralph," Kristen asked, still clearly apparent she was desperately attempting to keep her anger in check. Her driver was about to respond but she really wasn't interested in conversation at this point. She needed to vent and for the first time since learning of Nicole's "death", she did so freely, cutting him off before he had a chance to speak once again.

"Death of TV reporter Nicole Walker Ruled Homicide," she recited from memory sarcastically, then proceeded to add her own personal touch, "MY ASS!"

Ralph braced himself and tried to remain calm as she began kicking the back of his seat and howling in a tantrum worse than he had ever witnessed coming from any child. He had heard stories of Ms. DiMera's erratic behavior before, but this was his first time to witness it first-hand. He wasn't sure if maybe she'd see the panicked look on his face, but thankfully, for whatever reason, the duration of the fit was relatively short. Stunningly, she was unapologetic for her behavior as if it was quite normal for a fully grown woman of her stature to behave as so.

Ralph, desperate to distract her, quickly piped up and asked where she was heading.

"I need to stop by the mansion briefly but I'll only be a minute. I need you to take me to see Brady."

There was complete silence for the remainder of the ride. She seemed calmer now but there was still an intensity to her face, as if she was deep in thought, each time he stole a peek through the rear-view mirror. When the car pulled up before the mansion, she quickly hopped out without incident and made her way inside the massive house.

She was greeted briefly by Harold but she quickly sent him away to fetch her luggage from the car. She was in no mood for small talk. What she needed was a drink and as nice as it would be to just pop into a bar for a quick one and avoid the staff all together, there was no way she could patronize a single bar in Salem and not be harassed by a Brady or Horton or the other ninety percent of the city's population.

She poured herself a double of whatever was on hand. The variety didn't matter, it was it's calming effect that she needed. After just one sip she was feeling good, feeling in control, and that was exactly how she needed to be when she saw Brady. Of course he swore her off and wished her to burn in hell the last time he saw her, but she was confident she could play her cards right. After all, she had something he needed. Information. Information that could make him very happy, and grateful to her when this exchange of information paid off.

As this thought trickled through her mind, her eye caught glimpse of a familiar portrait hanging in the living room. She smiled back at the handsome young man forever frozen in time seemingly smiling back at her. "Well hello, baby brother," she said as she raised her glass to the recently added portrait of EJ on the wall next to that of her father's. "Long time no see, huh? At least that's what you and I would both like people to think," she whispered with an exaggerated wink. "So what do you think about this news about your ex-wife? Tragic, isn't it? Well, don't worry darling, I don't think it's true. In fact, I think our little Nikki did a little disappearing act, much like you did two years ago, and three weeks ago..." She approached the portrait and put her mouth to the frozen man's ear, as if sharing the most intimate of all secrets. "Don't worry, with Brady's help, I will find her. And then, when I find her, I'll find all of you won't I, baby brother?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Brady Black sat on the floor, huddled into a corner of the darkest region of his room. Although it was only a little after 1pm on a bright and sunny autumn day, the only hint of light that managed to creep into his bedroom was what managed to filter in under the door which led to the hallway of the expansive Kiriakis mansion which, for security purposes, remained well-lit at all times in the common areas. Typically, on any other day like today, he would be out and about enjoying the sunshine, perhaps enjoying a picnic in the park or a stroll around town. Considering it was Saturday, chances are good he might be in New York or Chicago, enjoying every precious minute either his or Nicole's work could afford to have them away. Yes, he would be doing all of those things with Nicole. In fact, if things had gone as planned before that fateful day just a week and a half ago, they almost certainly would have been in one of the two major cities creating gift registries at all the finest department stores for their upcoming wedding. However, sadly, instead of picking out china patterns or debating which was the very best, top-of-the-line espresso maker with the woman he was confident was the one true love of his life, he buried her today.

Although he didn't speak the words, his acknowledgement of today's event sent an instant shockwave of heartache through his chest. Never before had he felt such physical pain over the loss of a loved one, whether it be a dear relative or one of the few women he planned to marry-another thought that stung him. This next realization, he spoke out loud.

"Oh my god. I killed her."

Of course, he played no role in planting the bomb which exploded in her rental car and once foul play had been determined, he was quickly ruled out as a suspect himself considering lack of motive and the fact that he had a solid alibi as to his whereabouts at the time of the incident. He had been on a plane enroute to London where Nicole had ventured to follow some leads on what could be a huge story. He'd planned to surprise her at her hotel and persuede her to take the rest of the day off since their work schedules were determined to keep them apart for at least the entire next week. As it was, he'd postponed a very important meeting, forcing him into a tight time schedule, to squeeze in what would only be a few hours to spend with her. It was just that the thought of not seeing her for another week, possibly more, in addition to the three days she had already been gone was didn't want to wait a minute more to ask her to marry him. He was already armed with the ring which he had planned to present to her on a weekend trip to New York before his overseas business trip began. However, on the way to the airport she got the call tipping her off about some suspicious activities at Salem University Hospital linked to a former doctor there who moved her practice back to London. It was a story she couldn't walk away from and his initial proposal plans were thwarted.

He went straight to her hotel from the airport, having his chauffeur make only a very brief stop along the way so he could grab a dozen of the best-looking red roses from one of the numerous street vendors offering them. Shortly after picking up the flowers, he'd been in such deep thought, rehearsing his planned proposal later this evening, that it took several minutes for him to realize that the car was no longer moving. He glanced up to examine the situation and realized that traffic in every direction had come to a complete standstill. His driver was on his cell phone, apparently enquiring of the situation himself. When the driver ended his call he'd turned to him and immediately apologized for not being aware of the situation beforehand since the incident apparently happened a few hours ago and explained that there had been some kind of explosion at the May Fair hotel, where he was hired to bring him, and that several of the surrounding streets have been blocked off as a result. He remembered hearing the driver faintly proclaim he hoped Nicole was ok as he jumped from the car and immediately headed in the direction of the hotel on foot. His thumb repeatedly hit the button to redial her again and again and would not quit until he got her live voice and not just her vivacious, pre-recorded voice mail greeting. He convinced himself that whatever happened, Nicole was not answering her phone because surely she was called upon to cover the story. It certainly wouldn't be the first time she didn't take his calls, whether purposefully or not because she was totally engrossed in the excitement. However, as he struggled to fill his mind with positive thoughts, he couldn't ignore alarming bits and pieces of overheard conversations he picked up along the way. "Bomb. American journalist. Pretty blonde-haired girl. Dead." The only thing he could do was rack his brain for more positive excuses to counteract what he was hearing, like, "Well, surely Nicole isn't the only pretty, blonde-haired American journalist in London!" Probably an accurate statement, but as soon as he turned the corner and locked eyes with a familiar face, his hopes began to fade.

The familiar face was Miles, Nicole's boss at the station. Nicole had mentioned Miles had decided to follow her to London when he realized how potentially huge the story could be. As soon as he locked eyes with Brady, he pushed his way through the crowd toward him. He apologized to Brady for not contacting him earlier but when he had learned from speaking with Victor that he was already on his way to London to see Nicole, everyone thought it was best he not learn of what had happened until he was on the ground. He explained all about how he had just spoken with Nicole, she was in her room, he was in his, and they'd planned to go to lunch so Nicole could brief him on a meeting with a contact she had the previous night. Brady knew this because Nicole had told him this much the last time he had spoken to her, she was on her way to the car to wait for Miles. Miles continued to explain that it was no more than five minutes later that the explosion came and when he looked outside he saw a car completely engulfed in flames. Although it took some time for him to piece together all the information himself since the building and surrounding areas were evacuated and police were not releasing any information, he was certain it was Nicole.

Miles was right, but it took several days before any of the authorities were able to confirm, even with all the pieces there: the car was easily traced back to the car service it was registered to; the client it was assigned to was Nicole Walker; the driver was reported missing along with Nicole, and of the few personal effects found, one was Nicole's press badge which displayed her picture, name, and who she worked for. All that was needed to confirm was DNA results of the charred remains from the lab which proved to not be any easy task considering what little human matter was left. The official announcement made no difference. He already knew in his heart she was gone.

A full investigation to determine who is responsible has been launched but it hardly mattered to him. Regardless of what they find, ultimately it is all his fault. He dared to love her as he had dared to love all the others who had perished on account of him. He couldn't put his finger on the reason why God had an agenda against him but clearly, he had done something wrong. He was being punished for some transgression he ws completely unaware of,and innocent women were suffering. Arianna, Madison, and now Nicole. There certainly would be no more. If he was meant to suffer this world alone then that's what he'd do. There's nothing anyone could do to console him. He obviously was not meant to be happy and he was through with keeping his composure for the sake of his family. The sooner they can accept that he was never meant to be more than a drunk, drug-addicted loser, the better it would be for all of them. He finally reached for the bottle of whiskey that had been sandwiched between his legs and went to unscrew the cap forgetting that in his other hand he had been holding the box which had once contained the engagement ring. The ring itself he buried with her and he supposed he had not let go of the box since he handed the ring over to the funeral home director who placed it with her remains which he wished not to see. He had envisioned her elated reaction to his proposal a thousand times. Now, the last visual memory he would have of her was her turning around just before disappearing beyond the gate at the airport and mouthing to him one more, all-too-brief, "I love you."

A wave of anger swept over him in an instant, and he flung the ring box across the room, letting out a wail like that of a wounded animal alone in the woods. He tightened his grip around the bottle of whiskey and feverishly began unscrewing the cap. The intoxicating aroma of the liquor caused his hands to involuntarily raise the bottle to his lips. He couldn't wait for that first drop to wet his lips and send him on a trip down Memory Suppression Lane. That's when the voice came to him.

"Brady Black, don't you dare!"

In his mind he saw Nicole ripping the bottle from his hands as she scolded him, like she had done many times before. That was before he noticed there was an actual figure standing in the doorway. The light pouring in from the hallway seemed unusually bright, causing him to immediately draw a protective hand over his eyes to shield them from further discomfort caused by the sudden adjustment. He could see only the silhouette of the tall woman in a dress and heels, and her blonde hair. Blonde hair. The voice he heard. Maybe he hadn't imagined it at all.

"Nicole!"

He began to scramble to his feet but found that his excitement only hindered his attempt to reach her quickly. He tripped and barely saved himself from face-planting the floor. The light to his bedroom flickered on and by the time he managed to push himself to his knees, she was standing right before him and ready to offer her assistance. The light was better now and he could finally see her face. He thought he would never see that face again. Unfortunately, it wasn't the one he wanted to see.  



	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Kristen?"

Shock, disappointment...anger. Brady didn't know how to classify his feelings after discovering the true identity of the mystery woman. He supposed a few weeks earlier he might have wrung her neck if she dared to show her face in his home but tonight he merely staggered backwards a few steps and collapsed into a sitting position on the edge of his bed. He simply did not have the will to argue, although he briefly entertained the idea of using her as a punching bag. Nah, even considering the state he was in he would never hit a woman. Not even Kristen DiMera.

Kristen remained silent. So far, so good as Brady had remained calm at the sight of her. The last thing she wanted to happen was for him to call security to whisk her away before she had her chance to drop the bomb, pun privately intended.

"What the hell do you want, Kristen?"

Poor Brady. He sounded so withdrawn. Her heart truly ached for him. She still loved him and supposed she always would. Deep down she imagined a part of him would always love her too, but she needn't be distracted by such things. Besides, the truth was, she was about to deliver some news which, if he chose to believe her, would instantly ease his pain and would help her case immensely.

She barely got the first syllable out before she cut herself short, leaving Brady studying her quizzically.

"OK, look, I'll cut all the crap if you promise to give me your full attention."

Brady chuckled as he reached to the floor to retrieve the whiskey bottle he was so rudely interrupted from before. "Kristen, look. I've had a really bad day, an even worse week, and a miserable rest of my life to look forward to so, if you-"

"What if I told you that's not true," she began nervously. He was beginning to get agitated and the look on his face after her latest comment proved to only further provoke him. He was now on his feet, moving aggressively toward her. She felt herself beginning to panic. What if she couldn't pull this off? What if he wouldn't listen to her or, worse yet, he listens but refuses to cooperate with her and goes rogue or involves the authorities. She could NOT let that happen. He would ruin everything.

"Let me guess, you're a great guy Brady. You have so many people who love you! You owe it to yourself to not live this way because you're better than this." He chuckled maniacally as he re-enacted all the scenes he'd played a part in a million times before. "Oh, here's my personal favorite," he said as he grabbed Kristen by the shoulders and physically directed her full attention to him as he delivered his favorite line he'd heard thus far. "You owe it to Nicole. It would break her heart to see you like this."

"Oh Brady," she reached her hand up to caress his chin. She did it without even thinking, an automatic reaction to seeing someone you love in pain. Before she made skin-to-skin contact however, his hand intercepted hers roughly forcing it away. He stormed past her and stood in the doorframe and gestured for her to exit.

"I'm sorry for that."

"Just get the hell out of here," he mumbled, shaking his head from side to side in frustration.

"No."

"Alright," he said throwing his hands up in the air as hand inched toward the intercom right by the door.

This was it. He was about to call security and she couldn't afford to be delayed another day or more until she was able to get through to him. It was go big or go home. "What if I told you I think Nicole is still alive!"

Silence. There was complete silence as he stared at her for a seemingly endless, uncomfortable period of time with a blank expression. _This is it, Kristen. Here's your chance to talk without being interrupted. Now, go!_ She had never been so nervous but so much was at stake that it was hard not to be.

"I know this sounds crazy and I know it sounds like some desperate plea to get your attention but I swear Brady, I swear that's why I'm here because I want you to know what I know and although I can't prove it right now, I have reason to believe she may still be alive. In fact, I'm like ninety-five percent sure she is."

By the time she wrapped up her first installment, he was grinning. Not a good sign.

"Oh, I see how this is going. You come to tell me the one thing I want to hear more than anything else in the world, hoping I'll believe you. You get to have my full attention as we try to solve some pre-fabricated mystery together and then I'm forever grateful to you when you deliver Nicole on a silver platter to me in the end."

"Brady, I know I've done some really rotten things to you and your family but, I swear to you this time I only want to help. I helped you with your father, you remember that? You can't afford to not take me seriously because even if she is still alive, which I believe she is, she is in great danger."

Brady froze. Kristen silently patted herself on the back for choosing her words correctly.

Brady rose to his feet and proceeded to pace the floor as his brain began going into overdrive thinking up a hundred scenarios of what might have happened. "You think this has something to do with that story she was covering? I gotta tell you I was worried from the start when she-"

"That story was merely bait to get her to come to London. I mean, come on! There's no way Nicole wouldn't bite on that story. Someone accusing her former OB/GYN of faking infant deaths so she can sell them on the black market? The person who did this knew Nicole would be all over that story in a heartbeat! This person knew Nicole would be desperate for information and would agree to meet them in any seedy location where their plan could be executed."

"But her remains-"

"Test results can be bought, evidence can easily be planted when you have the right connections."

Brady shook his head in disbelief. "Even if that were true, I can't imagine anyone who would want to hurt her, besides a DiMera that is.

The latter part of his comment was only intended to be a joke. He never imagined it would lead to Kristen's next revelation.

"I never said it wasn't a DiMera. I only said that it wasn't me."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ten Days Earlier

Nicole quickly scurried toward the car waiting for her outside the main entrance of the May Fair Hotel. Although she was sure she had Miles beat downstairs, she was too excited to share her discoveries with him to wait another minute holed up in her room. She threw open the car door, tossed her purse inside and had one foot on the floor before she realized there was another woman seated inside.

"I'm so sorry," Nicole said gasping as she attempted to collect the purse which had landed on the woman's lap. "I could have sworn this was my car."

The woman was unresponsive. Nicole glanced toward her head to find it bent back on the seat with her eyes closed. If she had a few seconds more to investigate, she would have discovered that the woman was dead however, she was interrupted by her name being called from somewhere outside. At first she thought it must be the correct driver trying to get her attention but then she spotted the face of the very informing contact she'd met the night before poking through the rear window of the car parked immediately to her right.

"Miss Walker, thank god I spotted you. Please, you must get in the car with me, NOW!"

Although Nicole was fully aware the man who identified himself as Mr. Petrie, an admitted pseudonym, had promised to deliver to her today proof of his accusations, she hadn't been prepared for this type of delivery. She had already broken safety standards by agreeing to meet alone with him on his terms last night but she couldn't risk losing the story just because he wouldn't budge on his conditions.

"Miss Walker, please! We can't risk being followed!"

For a brief second, she thought of Miles and how pissed he would be. Oh, what the hell did she care? Miles was always pissed at her for some reason or another. She couldn't risk losing her story. Not this one.

She opened the door to the adjacent car and hopped in the back seat beside Mr. Petrie. As soon as she was seated inside, another man entered behind her sandwiching her inside between Mr. Petrie who she would nickname Sweat Favre, for reasons self-explanatory. Already, her instincts were telling her something wasn't right. She reached down near her feet, feeling around for her purse which clearly wasn't there. Oh, crap! I must have left it in the other car. She had been so distracted by the odd woman and Mr. Petrie's persistence that she'd gotten out of the car without it and now she was trapped in a car with two strange men, being whisked away to god knows where, without her cell phone.

"Looking for something," Mr. Petrie enquired with an eerie tone now present in his voice.

"I was looking for my purse. I-"

"You won't need that where you're going."

Nicole felt her heart stop and drop down to the pit of her stomach. "What in the he-"

That's when the explosion came. She craned her neck around to see what had happened. A cloud of smoke, flames, all coming from the area by the hotel. It was difficult to see everything in detail considering they were now more than a block away but she could have sworn it was the car she was about to get into.

"What the hell is going on here," she demanded of Mr. Petrie, grabbing the well-dressed man in his 60's by the silk tie around his neck, daring him to meet her gaze.

"Miss Walker, please don't panic. Everything is going to be just fine."

"Excuse me," she barked at him, getting right up in his face, "You come rolling up demanding I get in your car at once while I'm trying to communicate with Sleeping Beauty in the back seat of the car I'm sure I was supposed to get into. I think we're going somewhere to have a nice little one-on-one convo until Sweat Favre over here climbs in beside me and then, then-"

She wasn't even going to bother finishing her sentence. The car came to a stop at a traffic light and she began to climb over Mr. Petrie toward the door.

"I wish you wouldn't do this Nicole."

She paused for a moment as she considered his plea, giving Sweat Favre, whom she had her back to, opportunity to seize her from behind. One strong arm wrapped around her upper body was all it took to pin both her arms to her sides. With the other, he covered her mouth and nose completely with a chloroform soaked rag. She resisted best she could but Sweat Favre was more than twice her size and try as she might, she could not free herself from his grasp. She resisted breathing as long as she could but after more than a minute of holding her breath she was forced to gasp for air, allowing the potent chemical to begin taking it's affect. Her body went limp and slumped back into his, her eyes grew heavy but she strained to keep them open as long as she could manage to soak in every last detail which may prove beneficial later on.

The very last thing she remembered before everything went black was Mr. Petrie smiling down at her as he proclaimed, "He warned us you were going to be a handful." 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Nicole groaned as the pounding in her head woke her from a deep, and apparently much needed, sleep. She didn't want to get out of bed. Minus the excruciating headache, she felt like she could have slept for at least another forty-eight hours. She tried to recall the current events which may have caused her current condition, but straining to remember only made her brain hurt all the more. Her bed felt unusually warm and cozy, and she entertained the idea of giving herself just five more minutes burrowed beneath the blankets but, more importantly, she had to make the pain stop.

She gripped the blanket covering her head and pulled it down just enough so she could take a peek at her alarm clock only to find there wasn't one there. It was also quickly determined that wasn't the only thing that was awry. Everything about her surroundings was completely unfamiliar and, frankly, a little scary.

At least this new development made her forget about the headache as she studied every detail of the room and struggled to recall how she might have gotten there.

"Ah, Miss Walker, you're awake."

Nicole jumped out of the bed to her feet, instantly leaping into defensive mode. Her eyes darted toward a corner of the large, grey, stone-walled room where the voice had come from and discovered a man sitting there in an armchair with legs crossed, peering out at her from behind a newspaper. She recognized the face. It was Mr. Petrie. Suddenly, her memory came flooding back.

"Please, relax my dear. It won't do you any good to get yourself all worked up."

Nicole's heart was racing. She was scared, but somehow ethralled at the same time. Although she was no longer sure which side Mr. Petrie was batting for, she knew because of the drastic measures taken that she had stumbled upon something huge. He was either going to do his best to try and keep her quiet or this was just his rather unorthodox method of delivering the information he had promised. He certainly didn't seem as sinister now as he was in the car earlier. She took a deep breath and an oath to herself to keep her cool. The worst thing she could do in a situation like this is panic. Be cooperative, be empathetic...that's what she had been trained to do if an occasion such as this were ever to arise.

"I'm sure you must have a terrible headache. It is an unfortunate side effect of the chloroform I'm afraid. Please, join me. I have something here to help ease your pain."

She walked toward him cautiously, her eyes surveying the immediate area to make sure there were no surprises of any kind waiting for her. When she felt it was safe, she took a seat in a second armchair arranged caddy-cornered to his. Between the two chairs was an end table with a built-in reading lamp. On the corner of the table next to her chair sat a bottle of Headache Formula Advil.

"What would you like to drink," he asked as he hopped out of his chair and approached a mini-fridge just a few steps away, up against the wall halfway between her present position and the bed she'd been sleeping in. "Your refrigerator is fully stocked with bottled water, milk, orange juice, and Diet Pepsi. There are also plenty of snacks: Cheeses, yogurt, puddings. In our make-shift pantry over here," he said, patting the top of a rickety-looking bookshelf just to the left of the fridge, "you have crackers, cookies, cereal, and some of those god-awful protein bars."

Nicole felt a knot beginning to form in her throat. Whatever the case may be with Mr. Petrie, it was clear that she would be staying there a while.

"There is a bowl of fresh fruit on your dining table, just so that you have plenty of healthy snacks handy at all times. There is no stove as you can see so your meals will be brought to you on demand and coffee, tea, and hot cocoa can all be fetched rather quickly."

"Coffee sounds great actually," Nicole chimed in weakly. The lump in her throat had made it difficult for her to speak.

"As you wish," Mr. Petrie nodded politely and without hesitation strode to the opposite, uncharted side of the room.

She really didn't want the coffee. All she wanted to know was in what direction should she run if things began to get sticky. There was a large, solid-looking metal door with a small, rectangular panel of glass at eye-level. When Petrie arrived at the door, he stopped. His right hand reached out and played with some contraption mounted on the wall.

"Louis, would you please bring Miss Walker a cup of coffee?"

After a brief, two second interlude, a scratchy voice coming from the device replied, "Yes."

"Miss Walker, your bathroom is right here to my left, and-"

"Mr. Petrie," she interrupted, finally getting up the nerve to speak. "I appreciate being given the tour and, apparently, it seems I'm going to have plenty of time to become acquainted with my surroundings so if you wouldn't mind, what I would like most of all is some answers."

"Of course dear," he replied, turning his attention toward the opening door where a steaming hot cup of coffee was delivered by an unseen person. "You ask away," he replied courteously as he rejoined her and presented her with the cup of coffee, a spoon for stirring, and sugar packets. It was getting weirder and weirder.

"Why didn't you bring me creamer for my coffee," Nicole enquired as she ripped the tops off two sugar packets at once and poured the contents into her mug, stirred, popped two pills and took a swig of her beverage.

"I didn't think you would want any," Petrie replied matter-of-factly.

"Why would you make such presumptions about someone you hardly know? You seemed to go to great lengths to see that I have everything here that I need."

"Well, I suppose that's because my instructions were to see that you are well taken care of and I noticed at our dinner meeting last night you were drinking Diet Pepsi and you only put sugar in your coffee."

"Who are these instructions coming from?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because that is what I was instructed to do."

"What can you tell me?"

"I can assure you that no one intends to harm you, and I am deeply regretful for the measures that were taken to get you here but you will realize soon how it was all very necessary."

"You're really not giving me much to work with here," Nicole said frustratedly. "Do you at least have the information you promised me."

Petrie shook his head. "There is no information to give. The entire story was made up. It was simply a ruse to get you here to London."

She felt like she had been kicked in the gut. All those pent-up hopes she didn't even dare to acknowledge for this very reason were now scattered to the wind. What kind of a sick bastard would taunt her with such a thing? That was it. A key piece of information. Apparently, whomever it was overseeing this whole ordeal knew how to get to her. Regardless of what Petrie had to say, this had revenge written all over it. Problem was, although she was admittedly no saint, she couldn't think of a single person capable of doing this to her. More information was necessary. "Why London," she continued interrogating.

"Because this location was most convenient."

"The explosion back at the hotel. Was somebody trying to kill me?"

"No, but that's what everyone will come to believe."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that the investigation will eventually reveal that it is you who perished in the bombing of the car."

"What!," she screamed, flying to her feet and proceeding to pace the floor frantically. "You faked my death? Why would you do that?"

"Because Miss Walker, you can never go back. As long as the world thinks you're dead, the happier you will be."

"Why? Why does the world need to think I'm dead?"

"So no one will come looking for you, my dear. Believe me, when all is revealed, you won't want to go home."

"When what is revealed," she pleaded desperately.

"I'm afraid I can't say anymore," Petrie replied as he pushed himself to his feet and headed back in the direction of the door. He began to speak as he walked toward the exit. "If you should need anything, use the intercom. The door can only be opened from the outside so no need to exert yourself trying to escape.

"Wait, please," Nicole begged as she cautiously approached him, her hands grasped together in prayer. "I have more questions, please!"

"And I promised all will be answered soon. You will have a visitor tonight who will be able to explain everything. I'm afraid if I stay I will spoil the surprise."

"Surprise? I think I've had my fill of surprises today," she said as she folded her arms defensively across her chest.

"Oh, I think you'll like this one. I think your guest tonight is going to make you very happy."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he wishes to return something that belongs to you." He smiled brightly and reached out to give her a comforting pat on the shoulder. She met his glance and was sure she captured sight of a tear in his eye. "Something that belongs to me," she repeated in the form of a question.

"I'm afraid I've said too much already. Excuse me, dear," and with that he turned his back to her until he was let out of the room as requested via the intercom, leaving behind a speechless Nicole who was now more confused than ever. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nicole couldn't sit still. She must have walked the perimeter of the room hundreds of times by now with no real mission in mind. Sure, she thought about finding an escape route or investigating every single item in the room so she could get some kind of grip on where she was but she had too many other things on her mind and escape wasn't necessarily at the top of her list.

She thought about Brady and wondered if news of her "death" had been delivered. Tears stung her eyes as she imagined his reaction as she was pretty sure it would be something similar to hers if the tables were turned.

The last year and a half had been magical. Of course she and Brady had always had a solid connection. They had their ups and downs but their friendship had always managed to weather even the most wicked of storms. She always believed they might be BFFs forever but never anticipated they would revisit the relationship thing until one day it just happened, and when it did, it was amidst the most bizzarest of situations. For what was probably the first time in her life, Nicole had four men competing for her affection.

Eric had a change of heart and so graciously decided to forgive her. At the time, she thought hearing those words would be the answer to her prayers. Instead, she found herself thanking him for his apology and sending him on his way. She had grown so tired of apologizing for herself and only imagined if they were to take things to the next level she would be apologizing for one thing or another for the rest of her life.

Same story with Daniel, except Daniel at least knew how to step up his game and tried to wine and dine his way back into her life, and she thoroughly enjoyed suggesting only the finest restaurants and ordering the most expensive bottle of champagne each time she decided to humor him over a dinner date where they could "talk."

Rafe turned out to be quite the sleeper, as in she totally did not see that one coming. It was Valentine's Day and they just happened to run into each other at the Brady Pub. He joined her for drinks, they commiserated over the state of their love lives, said their goodbyes and then next thing she knew, she was back at her apartment ready to settle-in and watch a chick-flick marathon when he showed up at her door looking dapper in suit and tie with a dozen red roses. By the end of the night, she seriously began to entertain the idea of him being "the one" and they began dating regularly. She had to admit, Rafe was probably the best person she ever knew. He was a stand-up guy, a truly good person who believed in doing the right thing, even if the right thing wasn't always necessarily "by the book." He was also one of those people with whom "what you see is what you get." He had strong opinions and wasn't afraid to voice them, but he was also the best listener. They spent a lot of time discussing her behaviors through the years they had been acquainted, mostly because she felt the need to bring it up to size up his feelings on them, and determined that he should have been the one to be a priest. She had never encountered a kinder, more forgiving soul and he had actually brought her to tears over dinner one night when he promised her, " I will never judge you for what you did in the past or compare you to the person you want to be in the future. What matters is who you are today."

What happened next was a result of the thing she privately referred to as her "Sami complex." She broke it off, abruptly, and for no reason other than she knew that someday, when wind of their relationship made it's way to California, Sami would fly in on her broomstick back home and deliberately try to come between the two of them. It wasn't that she felt inferior to Sami, or that Rafe would choose Sami over her, or that she herself wasn't good enough for Rafe. Sami was just that good at coming in between people and she didn't want to risk losing Rafe's friendship. Much to her dismay, ending their relationship had done just that.

Of course he'd pleaded for an explanation, but she couldn't tell him how she felt and be convincing. He would just tell her she was being silly and that he was over Samantha, just like EJ had told her a billion times before, and of course he would mean it because he was a good guy and wouldn't intentionally want to hurt her, but it would just happen. So, instead of sounding like an insecure basket case, she told him she thought they worked better as friends and eventually stopped taking his calls. They were always friendly when they would run into each other, but after exchanging the polite "Hello, how are yous," there was always a terrible, awkward silence and an unbearable look of dejection in his eyes.

Then there was Brady, the silent competitor. Brady had been her voice of reason throughout the entire Eric/Daniel/Rafe saga. He was always good for a 3AM, I-can't-sleep-because-these-men-are-driving-me-crazy phone call, or someone to just go out and have fun with without all the pressures that exist in the dating world. He always seemed to have the best advice, probably because he usually agreed with what she was thinking. He had told her to ditch all of them cuz none of them deserved her. She didn't take the comment seriously until he had taken it back, admitting he said it because he had ulterior motives because he too was in love with her. Her initial reaction was to laugh. When he didn't, she knew that he was serious. That was it. There were no grand gestures or profound statements regarding their feelings for each other. Neither felt it was necessary. Their love for one another had spoken for itself just by standing the test of time. She'd responded with, "Really?," he nodded yes, they kissed, made love, and she never spent another night in her own apartment.

Her mind kept darting back and forth frantically between concern for Brady's state of well-being and her own dilemma. Who was this "visitor?" What could they possibly have, of hers, that would want to make her give up her wonderful, new life and not return to the man she loved? Sounded like a bunch of boloney to her. Of course it could be. She had no reason to trust anything Petrie was saying.

Speak of the devil. Petrie appeared through the window of the door and gave a pre-warning knock before entering. She could see the shadow of another figure beyond the door which stayed behind once Petrie entered.

"Good evening, Miss Walker. I wanted to give you a heads-up that your visitor is ready to see you."

"Ok, well let's get this show on the road. I got places to go, people to see," she joked half-heartedly, for her own benefit. Truth be told she was utterly terrified.

"Yes, yes you do," he grinned knowingly. "I'll send him in."

She literally couldn't breathe. She took a seat on the closest thing she could find which ended up being an over-turned milk crate which served no apparent purpose in the room. If she hadn't stopped there she certainly would have fallen to her knees which were shaking violently and uncontrollably. She was completely still as she watched the door swing back open shortly after Petrie's exit and saw the tall, shadowy figure emerge.

Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, hardly anything about his attire drew her attention. She was suddenly terrified to see this person she had been so curious about and it took all of her will, courage, and strength for her to raise her head. They locked eyes and Nicole actually felt the color drain from her face and every single hair on her body stand up on end. She knew her brain was wanting to say something but her dry, cottony mouth could not form the words. He was lunging toward her, she tried to scream... 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Miss Walker?"

Nicole's eyes fluttered open at the sound of her name, though she did not realize it had already been called repeatedly within the past five minute duration. For a moment, she stared blankly at the man's face who had her cradled in his arms and was looking down on her with concern.

"There you are,' he said, sighing with relief."I was beginning to worry you wouldn't come back to us."

His voice was so warm, soothing, and melodious. She briefly entertained the idea of asking him to read the newspaper to her so she could listen to it all day long.

Another figure appeared from behind and knelt down beside them. "Here, have her drink this," Petrie said, passing a bottle of chilled water to the man holding Nicole in his arms. "It'll help her get her senses back."

The man holding her was now coaxing her off his lap and into a sitting position on the ground where he remained beside her keeping one arm wrapped around her shoulders for support. With the other, he offered the bottle to her, which she accepted immediately, without letting go until he was sure she could hold it on her own.

She gulped down half the bottle in one attempt, until her thirst felt satisfied, leaving her slightly breathless when she finally pried the bottle from her lips. The internal questions began to arise: "What just happened? Where am I? Who am I? Who are they?"

"Do you feel better, Miss Walker?"

She turned her attention to the man addressing her, the one who had just been holding her in his arms. She could only manage to nod 'yes' as her brain was too busy sorting everything out to speak. Miss Walker. Nicole Walker. That's who she was. Another name came to her, Petrie. Yes, of course, that was one of the men. It was the older gentleman who reminded her of a clean-shaven Santa Claus. Now if she could only remember the one whom she would call 'handsome' for now. He began to speak.

"You know, I wasn't sure what your reaction would be upon seeing me, but I didn't imagine fainting would be one of them."

She stared back into his eyes inquisitively for just a moment, as she tried to make logic out of his comment. Should she be delighted, disappointed, angry, terrified, to see him? As a wave of information suddenly flooded her brain with the knowledge she was seeking, she realized that perhaps it was all of those things. Sitting right next to her was none other than EJ DiMera, in the flesh.

"EJ," she finally spoke, once again feeling the nervousness which had previously caused her to lose consciousness settle in. He began to reach his hand out to her but she was on her feet before he could manage to make contact. She backed away from him and Petrie both who were now on their feet as well, inching toward her.

"No, no no no no, NO! You stay away from me! You are supposed to be dead!"

"I realize that Miss Walker," EJ said calmly as he froze in place at her request. It wasn't his intention to intimidate her any further. I'm sure you have many questions, all of which I will answer truthfully, and to the best of my knowledge if-"

"Tuthfully? Ha, that's a laugh," Nicole shouted as she threw a pillow off the bed in the direction of his head. "You don't know the meaning of the word."

"Miss Walker," he began, once again with intentions of putting her at ease, I'd-"

"And what the hell is it with you and this, 'Miss Walker' crap?"

"I apologize for my informalities," he offered, sincerely. "Surely you are not accustomed to me addressing you that way. I will call you Nicole if that makes you feel more comfortable."

She snickered at him with annoyance. What the hell kind of game was he playing now and what the hell could he possibly want from her? She should have known from the beginning that this entire escapade had DiMera written all over it, even with both Stefano and EJ 'dead'. Although Chad hardly seemed a threat, he was DiMera by blood and was therefore genetically predisposed to being irrational, unreasonable, and a having a few screws loose. Then there was that whackadoo Kristen. KRISTEN! She must be the one behind this all! She wants Brady back and has enlisted her brother to get rid of her!

"You know what would make me more comfortable EJ," she propsed to him defiantly. "Letting me go back home to Salem so I can be with the man I love."

He frowned and shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"Ah, ha! I knew it! Because you're working for that basket-case of a sister of yours! She's determined to-"

"I assure you, I-"

She wouldn't let him speak. She continued to ramble on, spewing out all sorts of innacurate accusations. He turned to Petrie and made a side remark. "This is more of the reaction I was anticipating."

Petrie chuckled, "Yes, my boy, your instincts were right. She's a pistol."

"Oh, so what? You're mocking me now," Nicole argued, stepping in between the two men to break up their little comraderie. "My predicament is amusing to you? The fact that I have been tormented by you and your family in the past is some ind of joke?"

EJ's expression turned serious. "Miss-Nicole, I apologize for whatever grief either I or my family may have caused you. I didn't mean-"

"MAY? MAY have caused me? What, did that little brush with death permanently damage that pretty little head of yours?"

"Well...yes, yes, actually. That is precisely what happened."

Nicole was silent as she allowed herself to consider what she had just heard. From the start she had felt something was off, even aside from the awkward 'Miss Walker' addressing. Did he not remember her? She decided from that point on to keep her mouth shut and let him speak, vowing to stay on-guard regardless of what she would be desired to believe. She was moe interested in learning the 'hows' and 'whys' at this point as opposed to arguing. "OK. I will stop talking now. Your turn."

"Thank you," he replied, offering a polite smile. "I suppose you have many questions. What would you like to know first?"

Why did you bring me here?"

"Because I have something of yours that you're going to want back very desperately."

"What is it?"

He hesitated. "I promise I will tell you, just let me take my time with this. It is a very delicate situation."

"EJ, please. Obviously, I am not going anywhere so you have all the time in the world to explain. Just tell me what it is."

"We don't have that much time. We have to get out of London as soon as possible. We-"

"Just tell her, Elvis," Petrie suggested. "She won't take it any easier with you dragging this whole thing out."

"I like the way you think there Petrie," Nicole chimed in agreeably, offering him a wink in return. She often used humor to disguise her nervousness or discomfort. "So yes, Elvis, why don't you tell me what it is?"

She watched his neck contract and release as he choked on the words he was struggling to speak. Tiny beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. He was nervous. So was she, for playing in the back of her mind was a phrase that she unconsciously wished him to speak. And then the words came pourig from his lips, almost verbatim.

"It's our children. I have our children."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"What did you just say?"

Nicole had to have him repeat his revelation. She was certain she must not have heard him correctly. It was simply her mind playing tricks on her. A case of her hearing only what she wanted to hear. Her heart was racing in her chest as she braced herself for a major letdown.

"It's true, Nicole. Our children are alive, and well, and with me."

She wanted to believe it. She'd played out hundreds of scenarios in her mind before which kept hope for her babies alive, everything from simple hospital mix-ups to conspirators determined to steal them away from her. She'd even considered that Sami Brady convinced somebody at the hospital to tell her that her little boy was dead as revenge for Sydney. Of course she'd laughed-off nearly all of them. After all, she'd been warned that she would never be able to have a baby so she resigned herself to the fact that it just wasn't in her cards. But then there was the DiMeras. Above all, it was the scenarios involving Stefano which Nicole had allowed herself to consider most often. He was very possessive of his children and grandchildren and he certainly hated her or any other woman EJ involved himself with. Women to Stefano were breeders of DiMera spawn, that was it. He certainly had the motive and resources to pull something like that off.

So did EJ, but even though he did play a few roles in some of her imaginings, she'd never considered him to be a real possibility. Although she knew she would never be his number one gal, she liked to believe that he at least cared enough to not want to destroy her. She never thought him to be the heartless bastard that everyone had accused him of being. At least he hadn't been to her. But there was that incident with Sami...

He'd kidnapped Sydney, immediately after details of the baby switch had been revealed. It was his revenge on her for trying to keep her away from him in the first place. He toyed with her for months, with the help of his accomplice Anna DiMera, sending phony ransom notes, and planting false evidence suggesting that her little girl might be dead, while he relished in every minute of her misery. He'd done all of those things to the woman he supposedly loved more than anyone? Who was she kidding to dismiss him as a suspect so easily? If he could do that to Sami then he could certainly do it to her, and he absolutely had motive, at least for their little boy. She had tried to keep him away from their son. Suddenly, she felt the rage boiling up inside.

She lunged at him, sending him from his feet to flat on his back in two seconds. She was on top of him, Her legs straddling his body at the waist, pounding fists into his chest as she screamed at him, "You BASTARD!"

Petrie was immediately behind her, trying to tame her flailing arms. "Please Miss-"

An elbow caught him in the gut, sending the elderly gentleman stumbling backwards, just barely saving himself from a fall on his behind.

EJ lay there defenselessly, allowing her to get it out of her system. After all, whatever he was getting he surely deserved it in some shape or form, even if he hadn't been the one directly responsible for stealing the children away. She was angry, hurt, confused as he imagined she would be, as any mother should be. Being her punching bag only hurt a little in comparison to what she must be feeling.

Tears streamed from her eyes as her fists kept pounding away, and she alternated between such phrases as, "You bastard," "I hate you," and, "How could you do this to me?"

All he dared to offer in response at this time was, "Please, just let me explain," and he repeated some variation of that over and again until she finally grew tired of beating him and allowed her still tightly-cleanched fists to rest on his stomach. She was only crying now and seemed to be at least making an attempt to regain her composure.

He slowly and carefully attempted to raise the upper half of his body from the floor. This movement prompted her to remove herself from him but she remained there on the floor, immediately beside him, resting on her knees. He pulled himself up to a sitting position so that he was facing her, ready to provide to her all the details she needed to know. He instinctively wanted to reach out to her, wipe the tears from her eyes, hold her, hold her hand, something, but he knew he shouldn't dare. He was afraid any such gesture would only reignite her anger. He was sure some of things he was about to tell her would cause her frustrations to resurface as well and it would all only further delay what this was all about. He decided to change tactics. He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and his fingers went to work retrieving his desired information. Upon his success, he turned the screen of his phone to her.

"Would you like to see a picture of your daughter?"

Nicole's hands shook violently as she reached out and grabbed the phone. Upon analyzing the photo of the little blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl, two possibilities immediately came to mind. Either this was indeed her little girl or EJ took great meaures to find a believeable doppelganger. If only the little girl, who would be eight years old, was wearing scrunchies in her hair, jelly bracelets, and neon clothing, she'd be a twin of herself in her childhood photos.

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you of details. She's eight years old now. She's incredibly bright and articulate, well advanced over the other girls in her school."

Nicole couldn't take her eyes off her. She was the most beautiful little girl she had ever seen but there was something about the photo that chilled her to the bone. The girl looked sad...haunted, even though she was smiling.

EJ was still speaking through her entire thought process. "She's an amazing singer. She's been training to be an opera singer since she was four."

"What is her name," Nicole found herself unconsciously asking.

"Antonietta. Named by my father, evidentally. They originally named her Mia but it was changed after my brother Tony passed away."

"Where is my son," she asked, almost emotionlessly as she passed his phone back to him. She still wasn't sure what to make of everything. She wasn't sure what to make of anything anymore and even if he was telling her the god's honest truth, where would it go from there? Her daughter was already eight years old, her son four. They were old enough to decide whether or not to accept her as their mother. It raised a whole new line of questions she'd never pondered before.

"This is Alexander," EJ said as he handed the phone back to her, attempting to surpress a smile upon seeing the picture of the happy, dark brown haired, brown eyed little boy, apparently mid-laughter, in the photograph. "I think you may realize the pattern here. He was named for my sister Alexandra."

Nicole again studied the new photo carefully. Unlike the little girl, he indeed appeared to be content at the very least. Also unlike his sister, he looked nothing like her but there was no question he was EJ's. He was an exact replica of his father.

"Alexander is a character, I must warn you. He's vivacious, energetic, and relentlessly inquisitive. I imagine he gets that from you, you being a reporter and all."

"What about Antonietta? Is she happy?" It had struck her as very telling that EJ hadn't used any such adjective to describe their daughter.

He hesitated to respond, carefully wording his response. "Antonietta is very skeptical. I guess you could also say that she is very much like you in that way. She has been hesitant to get close to me, not that I can blame her. We've only been acquainted for the past two years and she's not quite sure what to make of me. I mean, she didn't know me her whole life, until she was six, and then all of a sudden, here I am, some strange person she's being told is her father, only he has no memory of her, or anyone else for that matter."

"You don't remember anyone? Not her...or me?" Nicole wasn't necessarily sure why it mattered. She was really beginning to like NuEJ.

"Well, that's not entirely true," he began to clarify. "I've remembered a lot of things over the past two years, but I quickly realized that whatever I remembered I needed to keep secret, even from the children."

"Did you remember who you are?"

"Yes, I suppose that was the first tihing to come back. Then I remembered my family, Stefano and Kristen. I remembered 'dying', I remembered Samantha, and Johnny, and Sydney, but I couldn't tell a soul. It's an incredibly long story of how I came to discover the children are yours, ours rather. It's really the srangest thing because I've remembered so much, but I-"

His voice trailed off, hesitating to reveal this most uncomfortable piece of information.

"But what," Nicole pleaded, although she was sure she already knew the answer.

He frowned as he offered his explanation, apologetically. "I just don't remember anything about us. Dating, our marriages, the children, nothing. I don't remember you."  



	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"I want to see them," Nicole said, softly but insistently. "I want to see my babies."

"Of course," EJ nodded agreeably. "I promise I will bring you to them very soon, but we-"

"No, I want to see them NOW!" She was trying to keep her cool but she could feel her fingernails digging into the palms of her hands as she clenched her fists tight.

EJ locked eyes with her, demanding her attention. "I will let you see them as soon as possible, and how soon that is relies solely on your willingness to cooperate with my terms and conditions."

Nicole crossed her arms over her chest defensively. EJ B.C. was beginning to make his big comeback. "Well, well, well, Elvis is back in the building."

"Look, we don't have time for your cheap shots or bargaining attempts. I'm going to lay it all out for you, Miss Walker. If you want to be with your children, you will do EXACTLY as I say. I-"

"Oh, isn't this just like you, you-"

EJ continued to speak over her, raising his voice until he won the battle to dominate the conversation.

"We don't have time for this! We have to leave London as soon as possible because I can guarantee that Kristen is already desperately searching for me and the children, and probably you too."

"Then why did you even bother to fake my death if eveyone is going to be looking for me anyway."

"Not everybody will be, just Kristen. Nicole, you have to understand this was the only way. Think about it. Suppose I had simply contacted you, explained what my father did and told you my plan to get the children as far away from Kristen as possible, told you where we would be, and invited you to join us. What would you have done? Honestly, first instinct?"

"Honestly, OK, I would call the police, FBI, CIA, Interpol, Scotland Yard, whoever it is I would need to call, and send them to rescue my children and then throw you and your psycho sister in jail for the rest of your lives."

EJ chuckled," You're right, that's probably what any normal person would and should do but come on, Nicole. Even though you don't want to admit it, you know what I'm getting at here. If you dared to marry me twice, you must. DiMeras always stay at least one step ahead of the law. The only person who really stands a chance at outwitting a DiMera is another DiMera. So say you did just that, you turn us both in and we're caught, which in reality probably would not happen. The only thing they're going to do to either one of us is question us because, as of yet, there isn't even any proof that a crime has been committed. I would just be some guy who looks like the late EJ DiMera, living with two children who you claim are our children who are also presumed to be dead. They wouldn't be able to detain anyone until they could prove our identities. It would take them weeks to put all the pieces together and in the meantime, it'll be a war to see which one of us takes them back away from you first and disappears off the face of the earth, Kristen or myself. I wouldn't be doing it to punish you, but because above all I need to guarantee my children's safety and well-being and I will know then that you cannot be trusted. Is this beginning to make sense now?"

A very pale, downtrodden Nicole could only manage to nod in response. It made perfect sense. That was classic EJ talking, through and through.

"Now, let's suppose you didn't tell anyone what I told you, and you took a leap of faith and agreed to just give up your life in Salem and join me and the children wherever we might be. Kristen will be looking for you either way but now, so will everyone else. Brady Black certainly would be, and he might ask some of his and your friends to do the same. Who knows, maybe it would even turn into a full-fledged investigation of some kind with Brady suspecting some sort of foul play because after all, you two were going hot and heavy and then just all of a sudden you disappear, even if you told him you were leaving. Now the authorities and media are involved, leaking little tidbits of information here and there which will make it that much easier for Kristen to catch up with us."

Nicole continued to nod all through EJ's proposed scenario. He was absolutely right about what to expect from Kristen, though she still didn't know why she would be determined to take their children. If it had been Stefano she wouldn't question a thing.

"But this way, if everyone besides Kristen thinks your dead, then everyone will continue to believe you are dead because I can guarantee that Kristen would not make a peep. Even though an official investigation and media involvement would probably prove beneficial to her search efforts, she would not take the risk of someone stumbling across the children. They've been kept a well-guarded secret all this time and she's not about to let that change."

"I really don't see how you can keep two children living in your home a secret. I mean, come on, you knew that authorities were always watching you and your family."

"Yes, and they were but there were still things that they never knew about. Nobody has caught on that I'm still alive, correct?"

"Correct," Nicole agreed, defeated.

"They don't bear the DiMera name. They've spent most of their lives in boarding school. Aside from the school children and staff, my father, Kristen, and myself are all they know, and they barely know me."

His eyes grew glassly with freshly brewed tears he didn't dare allow to fall. "I was only brought to see them a handful of times. Our daughter thinks I'm some lame, absentee father who is only back in her life because he's practically a vegetable. But she loves Kristen. Yes, Aunt Kristen would go and visit her all the time, and shower her with gifts and love. They are very attached."

"That bitch," Nicole growled through gritted teeth. "So what, she like thinks of them as her own?"

"Oh, there's a lot more to it than that. She loves and adores them, yes, but there are other reasons why she is determined to keep them away from both you and me. For starters, she made a vow to my father to make sure that they grew up to be true DiMeras. He believed that our children were his only hope of the family name living up to it's legacy. I was already hopeless in his eyes because I was a 'fool for women.' So he took them, from both of us, to raise as he saw fit. Kristen didn't even know about them until just shortly before me. My father only told her then because he knew that his time was limited and he would need to entrust them in someone else's care. That someone was Kristen."

"So why even bother reintroducing them to you if he was so convinced you would ruin them?"

"Well, he thought he could recondition me. With the memory loss, he could start over. That's why I had to continue to pretend I didn't remember anything. The first few times I spoke some things I recalled, I was so excited to share these things with them. I thought that surely they would be happy I was beginning to get my memory back. Instead I overheard them talking to one another, panicking that I was beginning to remember, and what they planned to do about it. It was quite alarming to say the least and I learned from that point on to keep my mouth shut and play dumb."

"So what are the other reasons she wants our children? Do you think she is capable of hurting them."

EJ frowned, not offering Nicole much hope for her worst fears. "Honestly, I don't know. I'd like to believe she would never do anything to hurt them but as much as she claims to love them, there are three things that Kristen loves more and those things are Kristen, power, and money. When our children turn eighteen, they will take away two of those things from her. Nicole, our children are the only inheritants of the DiMera family fortune."  



	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"So what is this plan of yours, EJ? How do you intend to keep us all hidden away from Kristen the Terrible?"

He looked down at his wristwatch, regarding the time. "I'm afraid that part of the lesson will have to wait. It's getting late and I need to get back to the children. I don't want to leave them any longer than necessary."

"Wait," she yelped, throwing herself in his path to the only exit to the room. "You have to take me with you!"

He paused for a moment, looking down on her with pity as he considered her plea, but finally shook his head and proceeded toward the door. She ran after him and impulsively jumped on his back.

"Miss Walker, what the hell do you think you're doing?" His body thrashed violently back and forth as he tried to free himself from the impromptu piggyback ride. Her arms only tightened their grip around his neck. Was she trying to choke him?"

"EJ, please, don't do this to me! You have to let me see them!"

Her apparent sobbing and the anguish in her voice assured him she wasn't trying to kill him. She was simply acting out in desperation but it was this type of behavior that he was afraid of. He knew she was prone to irrational and irresponsible actions and reactions, and he didn't want to risk any undue attention being drawn to them because of her. He'd planned to spend several hours explaining everything in detail and going over the lists of dos and don'ts before allowing her to leave her room, but hearing her whimper and beg was too much to bear. After all, on some level he could identify with her pain.

He certainly went through his own cycle of mixed feelings after learning of his father's deception involving the children and the great lengths he had gone through to make sure that he would never discover their connection to Nicole. Attempting to have your son's memory erased so that he would not remember his children's mother did not earn him a nomination for the father of the year award. He recalled the many sleepless nights spent pondering how he could ever make up for all the lost time, and grieving for missing out on their first laughs, first teeth, first steps, first everything, but he wasn't the only one who had been robbed. Nicole had been denied all those things too, and who was he to make her suffer a minute more.

"Ok, ok ok ok, you can come with me," he finally offered, making a new attempt to pry her arms away from his neck. "But Nicole, please. You have to promise me you're not going to do anything foolish."

She had several comebacks in queue in response to his comment but she decided to bite her tongue. She just had to see the children. It would be the only way she could know for sure it was all true. She seriously considered fleeing the moment they were outside but it was a risk she simply couldn't take. If everything EJ was telling her was true, she would never see them again if she'd try to run. She would at least stick it out until she was able to obtain her own proof in which a simple DNA test should do the trick. The where and when was the challenge she had to face.

"I promise," she vowed sincerely, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Alright," EJ said with a nod and reached for her hand.

She looked to his extended arm with much reservation and kept her arms pinned at her sides.

"Please, you'll want to take my hand. It's going to be rather dark."

She stared deeply into his dark brown eyes as she cautiously extended her hand to meet his. When they made contact, she noticed a tiny flicker in his eyes and wondered if he had seen the same thing in hers. Did he feel the same tingle of electricity passing through his fingertips as she had felt in hers the moment they made contact? She chuckled to herself as she tried to recall the exact moment she'd turned into such a major cornball. Why was she even thinking about this stuff to begin with? She and EJ had been more over each other than a cow over the moon for some time before he 'died' and no matter what happened...if he was the only living man left on earth...she had vowed long ago she would never go there again. She quickly cast these silly thoughts aside and began to concentrate on the children.

He led her up a flight of stairs and through a long, dark, and damp corridor. She felt a burst of cold air whip through her hair when they finally entered a large room with several panes of glass missing from it's high, ceiling-height windows. With the peculiar machinery and faint smell of gasoline and motor oil, she deduced that the building they were in had once served as an auto repair shop. There was a car parked just inside one of three garage doors, which EJ immediately went to and hoisted up just enough to provide sufficient passage of the car. The engine started and the headlights beamed on, catching her off-guard until she realized she had forgotten all about Petrie who was now manning the driver's seat.

EJ opened one of the rear doors and motioned for her to get in. When she was secured inside the car, it began it's slow roll in reverse, until it was clear of the door. Once they had passed through, EJ closed the door after them and then joined Nicole in the back seat of the car, leaving the front passenger seat vacant. Nicole supposed he was intent on keeping an eye on her.

"Do they know about me," she inquired hopefully. It was a question that had been plaguing her for some time now.

"They do now but, I must warn you Nicole. This isn't going to be easy for you, or for Antonietta. She's been fed lies about you for years. She thinks you were some self-interested druggie, who didn't want her or her brother, who eventually died of a drug overdose. Me, she thinks I was more worried about chasing after you, and apparently every other woman in the world, than them. Alexander, he's fine. He knows I'm his daddy and I suppose that's all a little boy of his age needs to know but Antonietta...she's scared. She wants to go back to her school and she wants her Aunt Kristen. She doesn't understand why I told her she can never see her again."

"It is very hard to trust when you've been lied to by the people you care about most. Especially when you believe that they actually cared about you."

EJ got the impression she was referring to someone other than Antonietta. "Is that what happened with us, Nicole? Did you think I could no longer trust you after what you did with Sydney?"

She broke out into a bout of hearty, exaggerated laughter, bending over as she held her stomach, apparently cramping from the over-abundance of laugh-provoking humor in his last statement. He privately congratulated himself for his seemingly innocent little pot-shot. Fair was fair.

"Oh, that is rich, Elvis," she said, still chuckling as she collapsed backward into the seat.

"I don't understand why that is funny but clearly I am wrong. Of course the information I had to work with was mostly public record and little tidbits here and there from Arthur."

"Arthur," Nicole inquired, sobering up from her outburst with this new little tidbit of information. "Who is Arthur?"

"That would be me, Miss Walker," Petrie/slash Arthur chimed in from the front seat.

"Oh,"Nicole replied with renewed interest, looking toward EJ for further explanation.

"Arthur is a very dear old friend. He was one of my professors and guidance counselor at the university. We became very close, you could say like father and son. He took a very keen interest in my studies and tried to guide me down the right path."

"Which, for the record Miss Walker, was as far away from his father as he could possibly get." Petrie/Arthur searched for her eyes through the rear view mirror and offered her a wink. The conversation, now becoming a three-way, had turned almost pleasant.

"It's true," EJ shrugged indifferently. "Of course I didn't listen and took off for America to do my father's bidding. He'd been conditioning me my whole life so that I would be ready to inherit the DiMera throne when the time came and, at that time, I was eager to please him. Still, I always had these voices in the back of my mind warning me to watch my back."

"And those voices were his mother and myself," Arthur offered.

"I could hardly ignore them since I had grown wary myself. I'd discovered soon enough that it was extremely difficult to please my father and all those warnings started to resonate with me. So, I took some of my father's advice and begin planning my very own exit strategy, only mine wasn't to protect me from the law or some rival family. It was to protect me from him."

"Exit strategy," Nicole repeated, more of a statement than a question. "Are you saying you made yourself disappear?"

EJ shook his head firmly, "No, not at all. I was really shot. I really died. My father and Kristen really schemed to erase my memory and keep my existence a secret. This plan was something I started well before that. When I remembered who I was and what my father and Kristen had done to me and to our children, I knew it was time to put my plan into effect. I had millions of dollars, safely tucked away in dozens of bank accounts. I've spent the last week and a half portraying just as many personas to close out all those accounts and make new arrangements so we can start over."

She was about to pry for more information when the car slowly decelerated to a stop in front of a quaint little cottage. They all had been so engrossed in conversation that she hadn't even noticed the cityscape fading into the distant background.

"We're here," EJ informed her, his words sending an instant jolt of panic coursing through her veins. She had been so grateful for the conversation on the way over, as most of it aided in distracting her from what could possibly be the most precious, and terrifying all at once, moment in her life.

They had exited the car and had begun to approach the cottage when she was caught off-guard by the little boy who came bounding out the front door in EJ's direction. No. Not any little boy, their little boy. HER little boy.

"Daddy," he squealed excitedly, running toward EJ with outstretched arms.

EJ scooped him up and planted several kisses into the little boy's forehead while Nicole could only watch helplessly. Her body was doing that thing again where it just wouldn't cooperate with her brain. She could feel herself becoming overwhelmed with emotion that she had absolutely no idea what to do with. All she knew was this it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.

"How's my boy," EJ asked, brushing his son's messy, longish, dark brown hair out of his eyes. "Did you have fun with your sister and Mrs. Wallace today?"

Alexander nodded, grinning from ear to ear all the while.

"Remember when I told you I have a very important person to introduce you to?"

Alexander was silent. His eyes had just discovered Nicole and he instantly became fixated with her. It was that initial eye contact that immediately brought tears to her eyes.

"Sweetheart, this is your mommy. Can you say hello to her?"

Every fear Nicole had imagined instantly vaporized in a fraction of a second. From the moment she looked into her son's eyes, it became clear what she needed to do. There was no time for feeling anger, or self-pity, or reminding herself of what had been stolen from her and playing the blame game. She realized there were two more unfortunate victims in this all and she wasn't about to let her own insecurities interfere with the role she needed to play, not only in that moment, but from now on through the rest of her life. She cast her own fear of rejection aside and took her son from EJ's arms.

"Hi, angel," she said, smiling with so much pride that the corners of her mouth began to ache. "I am so happy to finally meet you. Your daddy has told me so much about you."

Alexander blushed, and proceeded to bury his face shyly into her shoulder, but the smile on his face mirrored that of his mother as she embraced him tightly and rocked him back and forth in her arms.

EJ watched Nicole with their son and felt that old familiar pain once again. It was a scene straight out of a dream he once had, where he and Nicole finally managed to overcome all obstacles and realize they had found their soul mate in each other, then lived happily-ever-after. But it had been more than a dream at one time. In fact, it had been pretty darn close to becoming a reality until he lost his wits in a moment of insanity and committed the ultimate crime against her. He didn't love Samantha, not for a very long time, not even when he married her. Of course Nicole had observed this as his every wish coming true but really, it was only him settling with her for Johnny and Sydney's sake. He knew Nicole would never give him another chance. She had been too wounded, which he completely understood, just as he'd been too wounded by her rejection, and his failure to be the man she deserved, to keep trying. But that was before the shooting, before learning the truth about their children and, the beautiful part about it was that he really didn't have to make any of it up. Almost everything he told her was the gods honest truth. Almost.

He hated lying to her, but if he played his cards right he at least wouldn't have to lie to her forever. Just long enough for her to believe that he'd fallen head-over-heels in love with her all over again. If she, whom he supposedly didn't remember, managed to capture his heart over Samantha, whom is supposedly the love of his life, then just maybe she would give him another chance. He believed there was hope for he was sure that he'd seen disappointment in her eyes when he told her he didn't remember her, which was by far the biggest lie he'd told yet, for she was actually the very first thing he remembered.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Out of the corner of his eye, EJ noticed a disturbance in the curtains lining the front windows of the cottage. His head turned fast enough to catch sight of Antonietta quickly jerking them back closed to conceal her face. She must have spied them along with her brother when they got out of the car and opted to not join them outside. After all, she'd already stubbornly informed him that she had no interest in meeting this woman who was supposedly her mother. He knew he would have to watch Nicole closely for quite some time during this whole relaunch but he was really more worried about their daughter's cooperation than hers. Antonietta did just about all short of kicking and screaming in response to everything he instructed her to do. She wasn't used to being told no and she had certainly not grown accustomed to listening to him, especially when his father and Kristen coached her not to.

Nicole and Alex were getting along famously. Their son was now stroking Nicole's hair in a similar fashion to the way he would pet the Wallace's cat, though he was quite sure that unlike Chester, Nicole would not attempt to claw him in response. Nicole would never do anything to hurt him. He expected nothing but her full cooperation from this moment on.

He approached them and let his arm drape across Nicole's shoulder. "Come on, let's go inside." Although it wasn't all that late, it had already been dark for a couple of hours and a deep chill had begun to settle in. They were going to be very busy over the next few weeks so he couldn't risk any one of them getting sick.

"Is she here," Nicole asked anxiously as she strode through the door, still holding Alex, he'd held open for them.

A quick survey of the room found Antonietta to be nowhere in sight. "Why don't you have a seat here with Alexander, and I'll go find her."

"I think she's in the guest room, dear."

EJ had been so preoccupied worrying about Antonietta he hadn't even acknowledged the presence of Helen Wallace, Arthur's wife and temporary caregiver to his children while he was off getting everything together.

"Thank you," he offered briskly, but politely as he strode toward the indicated room with haste. His fist rapped softly on the closed door.

"Antonietta? May I come in, please?"

"Is that you, father?"

"Yes, darling," he replied, rolling his eyes in response to her tone. He could tell by her exaggerated voice that it wasn't his daughter who was responding to him. He was speaking to Princess Antonietta Rigoletti of Sicily, who was of course the fairest of them all. She'd taken on this persona, though only when interacting with him, shortly after he'd taken them and ran. He could only pray it was just a phase. "May I come in?"

"May I come in, what?" she shouted back, in a high-pitched, sing-song voice.

"Oh yes, of course, excuse me. May I come in, your majesty?"

The door flew open to reveal the princess herself, dressed in all her splendor. The light blue Cinderella play dress that she wouldn't leave home without was almost too small but she wore it with as much pride as Cinderella herself on the night of the ball. She was at least another two inches taller as she had apparently raided Helen's closet and helped herself to a pair of silver and rhinestone heels, along with some lipstick and rouge from god only knows where. Her waist-length wavy blonde hair had been neatly styled, presumably by Helen, into one, long intricate braid which cascaded down her back, just like that of her most favorite Disney Princess, Elsa.

He smiled at the sight of her. From the first day he saw her he couldn't look at her without seeing Nicole. It was his first meeting with her that had begun to stir his memory. When he'd looked into her eyes he knew he'd looked into them thousands of times before. His first memory of Nicole had come to him later that night in a dream. He'd remembered how happy she was the night he propsed, for what should have been the third and final time and how he was more content than he'd ever been in his entire life. After that, everything else came trickling back in a matter of days.

If only he could have explained everything to Antonietta sooner. He would have been able to slowly ease her into the situation instead of ambushing her and her brother and whisking them away into a frenzied mess. With time he could have given her great detail about her mother, and assured her that both he and Nicole loved her dearly and would have never abandoned her.

He knew that she desperately wanted to believe him. He didn't need to be a psychologist to determine what thinking her parents had abandoned her had done to her. Getting through to her was just a matter of learning how to penetrate the wall she'd built up around herself and he couldn't think of a better person for the job than Nicole who was herself an expert on the subject.

He bent down to kiss her and she reacted by taking two steps backwards.

"You must ask permission to approach the princess," she scolded him, waving a star shaped wand in front of his face.

"I beg your pardon, my lady. May I please give you a kiss?"

She held out her hand out to him and raised her nose in the air. "You may kiss my hand, knight."

In the living room, Nicole couldn't help but overhear the exchange. With Alex now busy chasing the Wallace's cat around the room, she couldn't help herself. She dared to sneak a peek although she knew that it would probably be better for her to wait and crept quietly down the hall, pausing to peer through the open doorway of the room where she would finally, after almost eight years, get to see her daughter in the flesh.

"Noooooo," Princess Antonietta screamed, jumping into the knight's arms and directing his attention to the hall. "Save me! Save me from the wicked stepmother!"

Nicole didn't know which emotion would be the one to surface but somehow she found herself chuckling instead of crying.

"Alright, sweetheart, come on. That's enough, we can play-"

"Quick! You've got to find Maximus-"

"Antonietta!"

Their little girl frowned after sensing the tone in her father's voice meant that he was done playing for the night. "What," she finally offered, grimacing with displeasure as she folded her arms across her chest, still laying in his arms.

He walked her over to Nicole, but she managed to squirm her way out of his arms and onto her feet before they got too close.

"Your dress is very pretty," Nicole commented, dropping to her knees to get as close to eye level to her as possible. She wanted so badly to just grab her and hold her as she'd been able to do with Alex, but she didn't dare. She suspected it might still be some time before she could even try.

Her compliment proved to at least buy her some time. Antonietta was now standing before her, mere inches away, studying her every bit as intensely as Nicole studied every detail of her adorable little face.

EJ got on his knees to join them, carefully positioning himself so that he did not appear to be taking sides. "Sweetheart, you remember how I told you-"

"Yes, I know, she's my mother," she interrupted flatly.

"Yes, that's right."

"Honey, I know how confusing this all must be for you," Nicole offered, speaking as soothingly as she could. "Whatever you're feeling right now, it's ok. I don't want you to feel like whatever you're feeling is wrong. It's ok to be unsure, or scared, or mad even."

Antonietta smiled but the look in her eye, her tone as she spoke, and her choice of words and the fact that she stated them with such conviction portrayed a different emotion entirely. "Good, because I HATE you!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Antonietta, come back here," EJ demanded sternly to his daughter who was now running down the hall after storming out of the room where she'd just delivered the icy one-liner designed to hurt Nicole. But, just as suspected, she refused to listen and entered the Wallace's bedroom slamming the door shut behind her. He felt his frustrations with Antonietta moutning and after a second or two of deliberating, decided to go after her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," Nicole scolded him in the loudest tone that could still be considered a whisper as she she grabbed a handful of his shirt at the collar and jerked him back into the guest room. "Don't you dare go after her like that!"

He broke free of her grasp, but only so that he could face her. He knew immediately upon hearing her words that she was right. It was just that the past few weeks had been incredibly stressful, and he'd fretted for some time over how Nicole and Antonietta's initial meeting would go. He'd spent the last week and a half trying to explain the truth to their little girl but his explanations only raised more questions and doubts. Apparently, his father and Kristen had not yet given their lessons in deceit. If they had, she would have believed every word he said.

"You're right, I'm sorry," he said softly, throwing his hands up in defeat. "I just don't want her to think that this type of behavior is acceptable."

She was standing closer than he'd expected to find her and he couldn't resist stealing a gaze into her eyes. She was trying to be so brave and strong, but any idiot could tell just how deeply Antonietta's words had cut her. It was an incredible task to resist reaching out to touch her but he knew from past experience that any attempt to do so would just push her further away. Apparently a look could do just the same as she took two steps back in response. It was just as well. Whatever progress he might have made in an attempt to comfort her was soon going to be undone anyway. He was about to implement another part of his plan that he was most uncomfortable with.

"Yeah but you don't go charging after her when you're angry like that! You need to wait 'til both of you have calmed down, then you talk to her!"

Every word of it was absolutely right considering you had the patience and time to go through the motions, but both were running very thin. They had two more full days tops where they could remain in London and within those two days they needed to completely change their looks and become familiar with their new identities and come up with a way to make sure Antonietta didn't act up in public. He was not going to be her favorite person after making her get several inches cut from her hair as well as having it colored.

Then there was Nicole to worry about. He still couldn't fully trust her although he knew in his heart she would only want to do what she thought was best for the children. She was far too impulsive sometimes and he worried that if she saw a window of opportunity to take the children and run that she would, totally forgetting that his warnings about Kristen were one hundred percent true and accurate. It was these stressful reminders which made it all that easier for him to snap into bastard mode.

"While I appreciate what you're saying, Miss Walker, now is not the time to lecture me on parenting 101. I will go talk to my daughter and I need you to stay out of it right now."

"Don't you dare tell-"

He came toward her aggressively, forcing her to step backward until she ran out of real estate and felt her back pinned to the wall. He planted both palms of his hand firmly upon the wall, framing her neck, as he leaned in to her ear and proceeded to remind her in a hushed, no-nonsense tone who was in charge.

"You listen to me. If you want to see your children again after tonight, you are going to do everything as I say. They've had enough of you for tonight. It's been a very long day for all of us so I think it's best that for tonight you go back where you came from."

"No," she shouted impulsively, but then continued on quietly after realizing her mistake. "You're not taking me back there! I am not leaving them!"

"Well unfortunately for you Miss Walker, decisions in this case are not yours to make. I am trying my best to find a way where we can both peacefully co-exist and get to be with our children while protecting them from my sister. I've been carefully planning my every move for over a year. I had to continually fake memory loss so I could do this all undetected. I had to sit there and watch while our children were fed lies so that Kristen wouldn't be suspicious. I did this all because I want what is best for our children and I thought that should include being reunited with their mother. Don't make me regret my decision. I'm sure I can find a solution as to what to do with you if I should change my mind."

She remained trapped against the wall, powerless to respond to anything. There were a dozen different reactions at least which she'd love to succomb to, especially the one where she would just spit in his face and knee him where it hurts, but she was helpless. There were certain risks she'd be willing to take but losing her children was not one of them. If she wanted to remain close to them, she knew she needed to cooperate. At least for now, until she could come up with a plan of her own.

She finally dared herself to look him in the eye. It shed a whole new light on their entire interaction. She expected them to look cold, and sinister...sadistic...but they weren't. If anything she saw desperation and fear. Suddenly, she felt almost sympathetic.

"I'll let you say goodnight to Alexander, then I'm taking you back to the garage."

He turned around and left her alone in the room, leaving her frightened to even make a move at first. She cautiously made her way into the living room where Arthur and Helen were seated quietly on the sofa watching a program on the television, with Alex curled up into ball between them, fast asleep.

"I just came to say goodnight," she explained quietly as her hands wiped away tears that she was unaware were streaming down her face until she was in the presence of someone who might notice.

Arthur and Helen both smiled at her invitingly and gave her the 'safe to approach' wave. She knelt down on the floor before Alex and brushed away enough of his unruly hair to reveal a small patch of skin where she could plant her goodnight kiss. "I'll be back to see you tomorrow. Mommy will be back to see you tomorrow."

EJ paused in the doorframe or a moment long enough to swallow the lump in his throat after watching the scene he'd just witnessed. He seriously considered letting her stay for a moment but the truth remained that it was too much for one day and she still couldn't be trusted. He proceeded to barge in the room carrying a large duffel bag.

"We'll need to hurry," he stated matter-of-factly as he went right for the door, his cue for her to follow close behind. "I need to get back to put the children to bed and you have plenty to do before I come get you tomorrow morning." He was careful not to make eye contact. He was sure seeing one more ounce of her agony would surely destroy him and his grand plans.

Nicole offered the Wallace's a polite goodbye then obediently followed behind him to the car.

"Arthur's nephew will meet us there. He's going to stay with you this evening in the office upstairs. You can contact him via the intercom should you need anything."

Nicole did not speak. She was afraid anything she might have to say to him might come out the wrong way, considering most of her thoughts regarding him were rather unpleasant.

As they began the journey back to her cell, EJ laid out her instructions for the evening. "In this bag you will find everything you need to prepare for tomorrow. There is a box of hair dye so you can color your hair. It's a medium brown color so it won't be too drastic of a change but I want you to shampoo a couple of times afterward so it doesn't appear too freshly dyed. Tomorrow a friend of Helen's will cut your hair and then I'll need to take a picture of you for your passport."

She remained silent, her arms folded across her chest as she stared out the dark tinted-window of her door, concentrating on everything she set sight on to avoid even a glimpse of him.

"You'll also find a selection of clothing to choose from as well as some more toiletries, makeup and styling tools. You should try to get some sleep but in the event you are having trouble, there is some literature in there you should read."

"Literature?" Nicole repeated after finally hearing something intriguing.

"Yes, on Australian culture. You're going to need to know these things."

"Austrlia?"

She'd been so consumed with this revelation she hadn't realized they'd made itback into the garage. He got out of the car without commenting, grabbing the bag o his way out. When she stepped out of the car, she noticed Sweat Favre was back, leaing against an unidentifiable vehicle parked next to theirs.

"This is Jeremy. I understand you two have met before."

Nicole followed closely behind EJ, who was already enroute through the dark hall which would lead back downstairs to the room, without acknowledging Jeremy. She wanted to ask why, when, but he was moving too fast for her. Once at the door leading into her 'cell' as she preferred to call it, EJ simply opened the door, tossed the bag inside, then her along with it. Before she could make argument he'd slammed the door in her face and proceeded back up the stairs. She stood there for a moment, feeling just mildly bewildered until her frustration became overpowered by rage. She picked up the closest thing she could find and whaled it at the door.

"You asshole," she shrieked before breaking down into a brief moment of self-pity but then she took a deep breath, dusted herself off, and picked up the bag sitting beside her on the floor. Yes there was lots to do, and that was a good thing. Every minute she could keep herself busy would help move the time until she would see her children again along a little quicker.

She laid the bag on her bed and began to unpack it's contents, grouping everything together as she would need it. The clothes were disappointingly drab, but tasteful enough to suit her. Near the bottom of the bag she found the booklet on Australia, and a bubble-wrapped item in the bag along with a piece of paper. Her fingers worked quickly undoing the bubble wrap, curiosity killing her to see what was inside. When the otem was finally free of it's veil, she gasped. It was a hinged two-paned photo frame showcasing a photo of each one of the children on each side.

She unfolded the piece of paper and read the brief note written in familiar handwriting. _Thought this might help you sleep better tonight._

She felt a tiny flutter in her chest as she read the note, over and over again. She felt overwhelmed by the kind gesture from someone who had seemed so intent on making this whole situation as unpleasant as possible, despite his proclomations. Then again she had also observed that his words and actions clearly weren't congruent with his inner emotions. This new EJ was certainly an enigma.

She replayed the events of the day repeatedly through her mind as she completed her hair dying/shampooing task and selected a outfit to wear the next day. She made a half-hearted attempt to read through some of the Australia brochure but she just couldn't concentrate. She instead found herself climbing into bed and staring at the photos of her two beautiful children situated atop the makeshift bedside table as she willed herself to fall asleep.

_Thought this might help you sleep better tonight._ The words continued to play over and over again until they finally managed to execute the very wish of their author, sending her into a deep, peaceful sleep full of sweet dreams of a wonderful future for her and her long-lost family, EJ included.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Next Day

Nicole stood before the full-length mirror on the interior of the bathroom door, critiquing her new appearance. From the limited selection of clothing, she finally decided on a pair of dark-wash, boot-cut blue jeans and a plain, aqua-blue, scoop-neck T-shirt, topped off with a lightweight, fly-away sweater swirled in multiple shades of blue. On her feet was a pair of brown suede, just over-the-ankle, wedge booties which was about the only thing she'd happily wear out and about without being forced to. The look wasn't bad, it just wasn't her. Mission accomplished.

There was a loud banging noise coming from outside the bathroom. She hurried outside and immediately noticed a face pushed up into the glass pane of the exit door. It was Jeremy. Upon seeing her, he opened the door.

"Good morning, Miss Walker. Mr. DiMera is waiting upstairs."

"Thank you," she replied, regarding him carefully as she walked by him and through the door he held open for her. After all, he had been the one responsible for drugging her so she still was not particularly keen on the idea of him lurking behind her. She picked up her pace to put some distance between them and found herself at the car in record speed.

Arthur, who was manning the wheel once again, motioned for her to get in on his side. When she hopped in and glanced over at EJ sitting on the other side, she began to chuckle tauntingly. Although his attire yesterday had been fairly dressed-down, it was the casual EJ that she was used to seeing, wearing a pair of black jeans and a thin, burgundy colored v-neck sweater which, aside from athletic attire worn when actually working out, had pretty much been the extent of his entire casual wardrobe. She never imagined she would get to see him in what she dubbed "Lumberjack" attire. The red, plaid, flannel shirt alone she would have paid hundreds to see him in if only for a minute but the heavily soiled, wheat colored work boots were priceless.

"Alright, Sarah, that's enough," he scolded her, refusing to begrudge even a smile. "We don't have time for your childish antics. There are a lot of things we need to go over, starting with you."

"Sarah?"

"That's right. Sarah Nicole James is your name, of course you will only go by Sarah, but in the unlikely event you run into someone who recognizes you-"

"-then I have an explanation as to why I answered when they call Nicole," she finished for him. "I know the routine."

"Yes, I am aware you have some experience trying to flee from DiMeras, darling," he replied with a knowing wink. "Although I'm afraid I still don't recall personally, we all know how that one ended. No more black wigs, ok?"

"Wow, it's really amazing how you remember so little about me, yet you're the same, obnoxious, arrogant, jerk you always were."

"Yes, but I am the same obnoxious, arrogant, jerk that you agreed to marry, not one-"

"Oh brother," Nicole mumbled under her breath as she let her head fall back against the seat.

"Not two-," he continued, flashing just as many fingers in her face for impact.

"Nuh,-uh, stop right there, Meat Loaf," Nicole interjected. "Get your facts straight. We were only married twice."

"Yes, but that's not what I said. I said you agreed to marry me three times."

"Ok, whatever! Just tell me more about me."

"Thank you, that's what I've been trying to do all along and I'd get a lot more accomplished if you would just shut up and listen. You have no idea how tempting it is for me to just tie you to a chair and gag you."

"Always a gentleman."

He rolled his eyes toward the roof mumbling some unintelligble gibberish which she suspected might be Italian for some derogatory statement regarding her.

"Ok, look, I'm sorry, I will shut up. No more cheap shots or commentary, I promise, but-"

"There's always a 'but' somewhere."

"I want to know about Antonietta, while we can still speak privately."

"What is it you want to know, Nicole? I've already told you everything."

"Ooooh, ok," Nicole responded carefully but with enough sarcasm in her tone to make the point that she wasn't satisfied with his response. "I've missed out on almost eight years of my daughter's life but a thirty minute briefing from you should have sufficiently answered my all my questions? Are you kidding me?"

"OK, look, I'm sorry,' he apologized sincerely. "I admit I was being completely insensitive. It's just that it's difficult for me to talk about her, you know? It's a really awkward position to be in, trying to do the right thing for your child, but then she looks at me, and you, like we're the enemy. I've tried my best to explain to her what happened. I've told her about the history of the DiMera family and the things that Stefano and Kristen had done. I've tried showing her things on the internet about them but it's like she's choosing not to believe any of it."

"What have you told her about me?"

EJ frowned. "That's the most difficult part of all. Without actual memories, I don't have very much to go on. Just what I was able to gather off the internet and Arthur. And I did tell her about the conversations I overheard between my father and Kristen regarding you."

"Such as?"

"Well, they were very concerned that I might remember you. When my memories first started coming back and I didn't know any better to conceal them, I overheard her and father arguing about what to do with me. Kristen was pressing for 'more sugery' while father insisted they stick to only using the drug because he had already been warned by Dr. Chyka that any more surgery would likely turn me into a vegetable. Then your name came up. More than anything Kristen was concerned that I would remember you and then I would figure out that Antonietta and Alexander are yours and not some phony woman's that they made up."

"So, are you saying your memory loss isn't even a result of the shooting, or being dead and then brought back to life? Your own father and Kristen manufactured it?"

"Yes."

"But Antonietta doesn't believe a word?"

"I don't think it's that she doesn't believe me. She's scared to believe me because she desperately wants it to be true. She thought neither one of us wanted anything to do with her. And you? she was told you were dead. What little child wouldn't want to know more than anything that their parents are alive and that they are loved more than anything in this world?"

Nicole nodded in agreement. "I believe that too. But I also know what brilliantly convincing liars you all are so it's not going to be easy."

EJ shifted uncomfortably in his seat and eagerly sought to shift focus back to their daughter. "So last night I go home and she's already in bed but I knew she wasn't sleeping. She pretended to be though because I suppose she just didn't want to talk to me but anyway, I went in and kissed her goodnight, like I always do, and I started talking about you, and how happy you were to find out she was alive, and how excited you were that we were all reunited. She started to cry, still faking being asleep, of course."

Nicole's eyes began to well up with tears of her own. She sighed deeply in attempt to dispel them for a bit.

"She wants to show us she loves us Nicole. I just can't promise when that will be. I feel that I haven't made any progress with her so far and I am certainly not her favorite person right now."

"Meaning?"

"I was really stressing about the hair-cutting business. She loves her long hair and I knew I she would never agree to let me cut it so I had to use some trickery."

She looked at him incredulously. "You used trickery on our daughter? Really? Are you deliberately trying to undermine your relationship with her from the start?"

"Look, all I did was sneak into her room later when I was certain she was fast asleep and stuck some gum in her hair so that she was left with no other choice then to have it cut out."

"You're unbelievable," she said, shaking her head disapprovingly. "How could you deceive her like that?"

"Well I didn't hear you coming up with any better ideas," he muttered shamefully.

"Hmm, well maybe that's because, A-I wasn't asked, and B-I was told that my ideas and opinions really didn't matter!"

EJ threw his head back into the seat once more, completely drained and exasperated from Nicole's relentless bickering with him. He began to chuckle madly as he looked out the window and toward the sky and began to pray aloud. "Dear Lord, please give me the strength to endure the trials you've set forth, especially the one concerning Miss Walker over here."

"Meaning what exactly," Nicole demanded to know.

"Pretending to be married to you." 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Whoa! You didn't say anything about pretending to be married! EJ! Wait!"

He got out of the car without acknowledging her pleas and barely managed to stifle his smile as he proceeded up the walkway to the door of the Wallace home. He finally heard the clicking of her boots hitting the sidewalk behind him as she struggled to catch up so he waited and held the door until she was inside. He was half tempted to make some sort of marriage-related joke in which he referred to her as his wife but that would have to wait for later. As fun as it was to toy with Nicole, it wasn't worth confusing the children even further.

It was a near replay of yesterday's initial meeting. Alexander went running to EJ the second he set foot in the door while Antonietta was somewhere out of sight. Helen Wallace was seated on the couch next to another pleasant looking, grandmotherly-type woman whom she introduced as Linda, her dear friend and hairdresser. Arthur had finally made it back inside and took a seat in a well worn, rust-colored recliner which Nicole imagined was his and his alone.

Helen spoke, directing her comment to EJ. "She's been in the room since you left. It's locked and she refuses to let anyone in."

"I'll go talk to her," Nicole eagerly chimed in before she could be ruled out of the equation.

"Nicole, wait," EJ stated authoritively, taking two steps in her direction carrying a smiling Alex in his arms. The little boy's grin beamed even brighter when he caught sight of his mother and he immediately reached for her when they were in close enough proximity.

Of course she couldn't resist taking him into her arms and covering him with kisses. She would swear that even if she weren't his mother she would still think he was the most precious, cherubic little boy ever with his very slightly pudgy, rosy cheeks and giddy but bashful demeanor. His new haircut showed off his beautiful brown eyes and thick, long eyelashes which would certainly be the envy of any future girlfriends. Very distant future girlfriends, she hoped.

"Why don't you stay with Alex and just let me talk to her," EJ said, patting her shoulders as if securing her in place.

She gave Alex one final kiss, then handed him back to EJ. "I think you have enough strikes against you today. I'm going in."

She approached the door softly and pressed her ear to the door, straining to hear some kind of activity. Silence. She knocked softly then called out her name. Nothing.

"Antonietta, this is Nicole, your mother." She paused briefly, waiting for some kind of reaction. She continued when none came. "Sweetheart, your father and I are very worried about you. Can you please just let us know you're ok?"

She was growing increasingly uncomfortable from the dead silence. Of course it was possible she was only sleeping, or perhaps just sitting quietly and refusing to speak, but there were also other possibilities which they would be foolish to dismiss. EJ apparently had shared her mindset. He appeared at the end of the hall, visibly shaken and out of breath.

"The bedroom window is open," he announced completely panicked as he moved down the hall toward her. "Stand back," he instructed, joining her outside the door.

"Antonietta, if you're in there move away from the door. I'm coming in whether you like it or not!"

It took all of two body slams to the door to break it free of it's hinges, allowing them to finally gain access. There was no sight of her immediately, but they took a minute to comb the room and investigate possible hiding places such as inside the closet or under the bed. It was quickly apparent she was not there.

"Come with me," EJ insisted, grabbing Nicole by the hand and dragging her along to his desperate dash to the front door, although she needed no assistance to move quickly. She kept up just fine on her own as they hopped in the car and began circling the town.

"I need to know what you think happened here, EJ?. Did she take off or is this Kristen's doing?"

"No, it's not Kristen, no way. She wouldn't have taken Antonietta and not Alexander."

EJ's cell phone started to buzz away in his pocket. He continued to man the steering wheel with one hand while the other dug for his phone. It was Arthur. "Tell me you have some good news, old man," he pleaded into the phone.

"We think she took Helen's phone. We've tried calling it a few times but no answer. Maybe she'll recognize your number and pick up."

"Do me a favor and text that number to me." He ended the call and proceeded to punch the seat between him and Nicole a few times before tossing the phone into her lap.

"What, what was that all about," Nicole asked with an all new wave of panic washing over her body.

"Call the telephone number Arthur is texting me. They believe she took the hairdresser's phone."

Her fingers trembled violently as she punched the numbers in, the phone shook against her ear as she waited nervously for an answer. Nothing.

"OK, try once more. If she doesn't pick up you are to call Arthur back and instruct him to have Linda call her phone carrier and report the phone stolen.

"You think she called Kristen?"

"Yes, I do."

"Oh, god! What-"

"Nicole, please! Try the number again."

The phone began to vibrate in her hand. It alarmed her so that she fumbled the phone, nearly dropping it on the floor. The display read the number she'd just attempted to call. "Oh my god, it's her! Antonietta?"

EJ pulled over to the side of the road and attempted to grab the phone from Nicole. She only meant to put some space between them but her elbow caught him square on the mouth and she ended up splitting his lip.

Nicole could hear some disturbance on the other end of the phone but no one had yet answered her. "Sweetheart, please, if you're listening just tell us where you are so we can come get you. Your father and I are very worried about you and very scared. We love you so much angel, please. I promise we won't be mad. We just want to find you and that's another promise to you that we both will make. Now that we know you're alive, we will never stop looking for you, never stop loving you, never stop wanting you to be home with us where you belong."

Her voice was full of genuine, raw, emotion as she pleaded into the phone but she did not let either feelings or tears hinder her from getting her message across, regardless of whether or not someone was listening. Finally, a shrill little voice came through the earpiece.

"Can I talk to my dad?"

"Yes," Nicole gushed into the phone, her voice full of relief, excitement, gratitude, and disappointment, just to name a few of the many emotions she felt in response to hearing her daughter's voice. "Of course you can."

She passed the phone to EJ, nodding affirmitively that it was the person they most wanted to hear from. She listened to his exchange with their daughter carefully and she was able to deduce that she had indeed taken the phone and run away but was now wanting to come home. He was attempting to pinpoint her exact location through a series of questions and without communicating to one another, she and Ej just automatically changed spots so that he could talk and she could drive, taking instruction where to turn.

They ended up in front of a quiet-looking park where only a handful of people could be seen, most of whom were walking a paved path around the park's perimeter. There was one elderly gentleman sitting on a bench feeding the birds, but still no sight of Antonietta.

"Sweetheart, we're here. Where are you?"

Out of the corner of his eye, EJ could see Nicole already headed in that direction. He jumped out of the car following close behind with his hand finding his way to the gun tucked into the waist of his pants, just in case he might have to use it. For all he knew, they could be walking right into a trap.

She approached the massive, wooden play center in the midst of the sand pit, featuring all kinds of challenges for the children to overcome before they could make their way up to the desired destination: the tower. Though she was nearly tall enough to just peek inside, she dared to step on the wooden bridge and climb the rope ladder to rescue her little princess.

Just as she suspected, Antonietta was sitting with her back up to the wall, hugging her knees to her chest as she fought to stifle away tears. She looked up and saw Nicole and only began to cry harder. She carefully inched her way inside, finding it surprisingly roomier inside than she imagined.

"Daddy's going to be so mad at me."

"Oh honey, he's not, I promise. Believe me, I know your daddy better than most people. Probably better than he knows himself, and he's not mad."

"He will be."

"Why do you say that, princess?"

"Because he doesn't like it when I do things I'm not supposed to."

"What do you think you did to make your daddy upset with you?"

"I don't wanna say-"

EJ was listening carefully from outside. Although Nicole's approach was certainly more smoother and child-friendly than his, it was taking an awful lot of time. Time which they may no longer have.

"I know it can be scary to tell the truth sometimes," Nicole continued, "but you have to understand why your daddy is doing everything he's doing. He's trying to protect you and your brother and bring us all back together as a family. I know the things your daddy has been telling you must sound scary and be very upsetting, but they're true. I don't doubt that your Nonno and Aunt Kristen loved you, but what they did to your father and to me was a crime.

"Is Kristen like Mother Gothel?"

She thought about the reference carefully for a moment, then very eunthusiastically replied, "Yes!" Thank goodness she had watched Tangled dozens upon dozens of times before with Sydney. If only she had thought of this analogy sooner.

"Yes, she is very much like Mother Gothel in that she tried to convince Rapunzel that she was protecting her by not letting her go out into the real world."

"Because she didn't want Rapunzel to know she was the princess because then she would want to go home to her real mom and dad."

"So then daddy is like Flynn Rider because he cut my hair to protect me."

"Yes, yes, yes," Nicole was crying happily. She couldn't help herself.

"And then Rapunzel gets to go back to the king and queen and then she knows they're her mommy and daddy because she sees that her mommy looks just like her."

"Yes. And her mommy finally knows too that it's really her daughter for sure."

Antonietta was finally smiling. She crawled over to Nicole and onto her lap and kept staring at her face until she apparently had thought of something unpleasant, causing a frown to surface.

"What is it pumpkin," Nicole enquired, suddenly alarmed by her sudden change in demeanor.

"Is it true what daddy says about cell phones?"

"Well what did he say?"

"That they can help bad people find you."

"Well, I suppose they can help both good and bad people find you so yes, it's true."

"Then I have to tell daddy I called Aunt Kristen. I don't want her to find me anymore."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The next eight days were a complete whirlwind of activities in which Nicole wouldn't remember even half of due to the fast pace and extensive traveling involved.

Of course they had to flee the minute they learned Kristen might be onto them. As it turned out, Antonietta made the call but never spoke to her so she at least had nothing more to go on than tracing the number to it's owner. That of course presented an all new set of concerns they must deal with, including getting rid of the cell phone itself, debriefing Linda on exactly what to say or do in the event she receives an unexpected visitor, and hacking into the computer system of the service provider in attempt to disassociate Linda's information with that telephone number. Nicole was amazed by how quickly EJ managed to breach the system but he reminded her it could very well be too little too late if Kristen had been on top of tracing the call the moment it was received which he thought to be most likely.

This also posed a threat to the Wallaces. If Kristen were able to gain access to the account before EJ managed to erase all pertinent information, she would likely not check out only the person that the number was registered to, but also who they were calling. If she stumbled across the Wallace's number she would eventually put two and two together when she realized Arthur was a professor at the university the same time EJ was enrolled. He was sure if she'd figured it out up to this point that she wouldn't leave the Wallace's alone until she got the information she desired. Luckily, this was a possibility EJ had already explained to the Wallaces and they had already made plans, with EJ's assistance, for their own exit strategy. They also left their home that very same day after rigging it up to go up in flames sometime during the wee hours of the morning. There were to be no traces of evidence left behind for Kristen to use to her advantage.

Another problem they'd encountered was the passports. Nicole did not have one for her new identity and the ones he'd been using for himself and the children after fleeing Italy were only intended to be used to get them as far as London. They needed new ones matching their new identities in Australia, and the only person he could trust to make them was Arthur's contact who had made the first set for him through Arthur while EJ was still in Italy. He couldn't take the risk of finding someone new that he could trust. The DiMeras and Kiriakis families both had people all over Europe to do their dirty work for them and it was highly likely that anyone willing to perform such a task for him was somehow connected to one or both families. He was left with no choice but to quickly line everyone up and snap a single picture on an instant-photo camera, then hand the envelope containing all information over to Arthur to deliver to his man.

They would leave London at once but needed to remain close enough for EJ to pick up the passports when they were ready. They found a quiet resort area about an hour outside of the city featuring lakeside cabins for rent and they spent the next day and a half there learning their new roles and going over the travel itinerary.

As he'd already informed Nicole, she was Sarah Nicole James, a former model who met her husband Ethan, a former free-lance photographer, while doing a photo shoot in Australia. Though they only spent a brief two days there, it was there that they fell in love and hence, the reason they decided to return to Australia. Of course she gave up modeling long ago to focus on raising their family, but he continued to do his photography work until a tragic accident on-site left him with severe brain trauma resulting in partial memory loss, with the most memories lost being the ones of her and the children. With the money they received in the settlement, Sarah suggested they relocate to Australia where they first fell in love.

Neither one of them would be working, at least not immediately. Along with the home he intended for them to live in, he purchased several properties which would be rented out for income. Although he had millions stashed aside, they needed to establish believable means of living, and even with a multi-million dollar settlement as an explanation, it realistically wouldn't get them very far once travel and moving expenses were taken into consideration, along with the price tags of both their home and the rental properties purchased. The new house was lovely but not even close to the luxury they were accustomed to living in the DiMera mansion. There would be no butlers or maids or staff of any kind, as there would likely be no room in the "budget" for a cleaning person for hire. They would have to do housework, laundry, yardwork even. Nicole entertained herself many times imagining EJ pushing a lawn mower.

Antonietta was allowed to choose her name which she was ecstatic about however she was disappointed when her first choice, Rapunzel, was shot down, as was her second choice of Elsa, only because Kristen knew how fond she was of that particular character before Rapunzel had become her new favorite. 'Belle' however, which would be short for Annabelle, got the stamp of approval from both EJ and Nicole, and Antonietta was satisfied with the more common name honoring her third most favorite Disney princess.

Alexander's name proved to be the more challenging to come up with, at least to Nicole. She hadn't expected EJ to ask her what she would have named him and although he apparently didn't remember her pregnancy with their son, she really didn't want to tell him she had chosen Daniel, especially considering the thought of the person he was to be named after made her queasy as well. She eventually came up with Desmond which had always been one of the male names she had always been fond of, from Desmond Child, to Desmond and Molly in the Beatles' Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da tune, to the character of Desmond on 'Lost." They agreed to go with it. After all, Elvis, the only other name she had ever considered should he get his act together and apologize sufficiently, was also out of the question.

The first night in which they stayed in the cabin by the lake was terrifying. Neither EJ or Nicole had slept a wink, both completely paranoid that Kristen or some DiMera operative would come barging through the door without warning. EJ had spent the entire night patrolling the grounds both inside and outside the cabin with his gun in hand while Nicole sat on the bed watching over the children as they slept. After they picked up the passports the next day and moved onto a new place to stay, Nicole finally crashed but EJ remained vigilant, watching after them all as they got some much needed rest although he assured her when they woke that he at least got a few hours sleep.

Soon enough, the time came to make their journey to Australia and it was this complicated process which had made Nicole's head spin. They did not take one direct flight traveling all together. Their journey was broken up into a series of flights in which EJ and Nicole always flew seperately, sometimes with one child a piece and others when one of them flew alone and the other took both children with them. The entire four day process had been nightmarish, dealing with plane delays and transportation issues to and from the airports and hotels, and of course the constant fear that Kristen might be onto them.

EJ had arrived in Sydney alone, before Nicole and the children, and as he waited for their flight to arrive, he suddenly began to sweat. They had been so busy worrying about Kristen that he hadn't time to consider the possibility of Nicole taking the children and fleeing. Of course he wanted to believe that she realized the threat Kristen posed and that he was in fact the only one capable of keeping them safe from her, but he knew she still had serious trust issues with him. All Nicole would need would be a few minutes to herself to recall the unpleasant parts of their history to impulsively change her mind and go running in the opposite direction.

He prayed every minute to see Nicole and his children's smiling faces as the plane's disembarked passengers began to make their way through the gates into the receiving area where they would finally be able to greet the loved ones who were anxiously awaiting their arrival. When the flow of people began to thin out and there was still no sign of Nicole or the children, his heart began to pound. He tried dialing the new cell phone he had provided for her but there was no answer after several attempts. He began to pace restlessly and was about ten seconds from bursting through security to check out the plane himself when he finally caught sight of her and waved. This gesture, paired with the enormous smile he displayed upon seeing her, portrayed him as the loving husband and devoted father he needed to be only he wasn't merely playing a role. He was one hundred percent, genuinely happy to see them all.

"Sorry," Nicole apologized out-of-breath once she had passed through the gate. "Belle lost her Pascal beanie so we had to go searching for him."

What happened next took her completely by surprise. He kissed her. He took her into his arms and delivered a brief but intenseley passionate kiss on her lips. The kind that makes you buckle at the knees and throws you for a loop long enough to make you forget your protests if there was even one to begin with. Of course it was just for show. He had warned her that he might do something like that in public and to be prepared. The most surprising element after all wasn't the kiss itself: it was the fact that she didn't want it to end. 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Oh, this is lovely," Nicole remarked delightedly as the car pulled into the drive of their new home in the coastal town of Umina, just little over an hour outside of Sydney. "And we're just walking distance from the beach?"

"Just a couple of blocks from what I understand. I can smell the salt water from here, can't you?"

Nicole hopped from the car taking a deep breath of the fresh, warm, Australian spring air into her lungs. She had always dreamed of living seaside and even contemplated moving out of Salem to somewhere where it was perpetually warm and sunny with sparkling seas and sandy beaches aplenty. But that was before the Brady thing had taken her by surprise.

Brady. It was the first time in days she had even thought of him and it hurt to think she could be so thoughtless. It was just that there was so much going on between the traveling and fearing for their lives her brain hadn't had time to think of much else. But now, here she was in Australia, poised to start a whole new life with her children and reality was finally setting in. This would be her life from now on. There would be no going back to Salem, no returning to Brady. Of course that was the part that made her feel the lowest of them all. Not that she would never see him again, but that she didn't feel as bad as she thought she should over never seeing him again.

"Daddy, can we go to the beach," Antonietta pleaded excitedly as she danced circles around both EJ and Nicole, her now shoulder-length hair bobbing along with her.

"We'll take a walk to the beach later, sweetheart. Don't you want to go in the house and see your new home?"

"I do, I do," Alexander squealed as he ran up the steps to the large, two-story, multi-colored brick, California-style bungalow. He grabbed the thick, bronze handle of the door and began to tug away without surrender even when the door would not budge.

"He needs to unlock it first, genius," Antonietta chided her little brother as her and her parents joined him just outside the door on a nice-sized covered porch, big enough to accommodate at least a small bistro table and pair of chairs where they could sip their morning coffee and tea.

"Hey! Be nice to your brother-"

Nicole's attempt at scolding her daughter was foiled by the front door of the house being thrust open, allowing their children an all-access pass to explore their new home. The two of them immediately disappeared up the stairs and their footsteps gave away their exact location at all times to EJ and Nicole who were still exploring the main floor.

"This really is beautiful," Nicole remarked as she dragged her fingers across the intricate, glass tile backsplash resembling sea glass in shades of blue and green, which paved the area of wall separating the kitchen countertops and cabinets. "I must admit you have impeccable taste."

"Well, while that is true, I must admit I really didn't have anything done to the place at all. I simply told the realtor we needed something that was move-in ready and arranged for a designer from the furniture store to get us started with just our basic furnishings. We'll have plenty of time to put our own stamp on things."

"You make it sound like we're going to live here together, forever."

"We are going to live here forever," EJ stated matter-of-factly. "I'm confused, is this some sort of problem all-of-a-sudden?"

Nicole took a moment to think before answering. "No, no, I mean...I understand what we have to do to keep the kids safe from Kristen, and I understand that right now, this is probably the best thing for all of us, but-"

"But what, Sarah?"

She shook her head disagreeably. "This you and me, together forever thing? It's not going to work."

"Ah, I see," EJ began as he started pacing the floor. "So you're under the impression that I have some fantasy of playing husband to you."

"No, I just want to be clear-"

"You think I'm here to prey on you while you pity yourself over leaving Brady Black behind?" His voice was raised to such a level where it actually made the countertop she was resting her hand on vibrate.

"Will you lower your voice," she reprimanded him with the loudest possible whisper. "You don't have to get so angry!"

"You're not the only one leaving somebody behind, you know. There is Johnny, and Sydney...and Samantha."

"Right," she responded quietly, repulsed by the unexpected note of disappointment in her tone. "Look, I didn't mean to upset you. We're both very tired and it's certainly not anything we need to discuss right away."

His expression softened and he managed to crack a relieved smile. "I'm sorry too. It's been an emotional time for all of us and I think there may have been a few times where our feelings took us by surprise. But I think you and I can agree on one thing and that is for the time being, we need to keep our children's best interests in mind."

"Absolutely."

"And, for the time being that means spending as much time with the two of us as possible, not only to make up for lost time, but for security purposes as well."

"Of course."

"You should know that it will be a very long time before I will let them anywhere out of my sight so if you want to spend time with them you should get comfortable not only spending time with me, but living with me because I will not allow you to move our children into another home. Especially if you should choose to shack up with some loser along the lines of Brady Black."

"Ok, I get it," she responded, now noticeably annoyed by his incessant lecturing of her and his completely inaccurate character analysis of Brady. She wanted so badly to remind him that Sami Brady was no prize and that she certainly had no problem moving on from him after his "death" but it would only cause further argument between the two of them and she was far too exhausted to fight the losing battle of pointing out Sami's faults. It would be just as useless of an effort now as always.

She tried to walk past him as she was anxious to find her way upstairs to see what the children were screaming so excitedly about but he grabbed her arm, just firmly enough to halt her.

"Wait."

She backed up a step so that she could meet his gaze. The tone in his voice had convinced her he had something important to say so she didn't want to miss whatever it was, regardless of how disgusted she was at the moment.

"I'm sorry for the Brady comment. I'm sure the last thing you need is me rubbing salt in that wound."

"It's ok, forget it," she stated dismissively as she attempted to wiggle away from him once more. It was no longer the conversation which was making her uncomfortable, it was the fact that he had begun to turn on that old familiar EJ DiMera charm she had always been such a sucker for. He stopped her once more, this time grabbing her gently by the shoulders. Her only hope now was to resist looking him in the eye.

"No, it's not OK. It doesn't have to be like this. I realize we've done a lot of things to hurt each other in the past, but I didn't bring you here to make your life miserable. I thought that regardless of what happened between us, you shouldn't be denied your children, that's all."

"Yeah, about that," she began hesitantly. "It makes me wonder maybe you didn't get the whole story."

"Why do you say that?"

"When I was pregnant with Alexander, I didn't find out about it until we broke up, and I was so mad-"

"Shhhh, it's OK, I know," he responded soothingly as his strong hands began to gently massage her shoulders for comfort. "You tried to keep him from me and pass him off as Raphael's. Yes, Arthur filled me in on that one."

"Oh, so you do know."

"What, did you think if I had known that I would have retaliated by keeping the children away from you?"

"Well it wouldn't be unheard of."

"OK, I guess that's fair considering some of the things that went on between Samantha and myself but I have to tell you, Arthur's account painted a whole different picture for us. For me, anyway."

"What did he say?"

"Well, apparently this information was gained by conversations I had with him first-hand after we separated. He told me I was very distraught over losing you and determined to win you back. Then when I found out you were pregnant but you refused to acknowledge he was mine, he explained that I understood you were lashing out at me because I had broken your heart and I was convinced that you would eventually admit the truth, which you did."

"Yeah, but only after we thought he was-"

"It doesn't matter anymore. From what I understand, we had at least forgiven each other at the time I had...departed...right?"

"Right."

"So if I can forgive you then I can certainly forgive you now. I guess the question begs, do you really forgive me?"

She made the fatal mistake of looking into his eyes. She wanted to go running as fast as she could in the other direction, but his enchanting gaze held onto her like a tractor beam and seemed to be only drawing her closer to him the more she tried to will herself away. She wanted to kiss him. His kiss had always been her downfall. It was her version of a drug addiction. There was nothing like the high she got from it but the crash and burn which always followed brought her one step closer to total recovery each time she vowed 'never again.' She secretly wished that he would just lean in and do the dirty work for her. After all, if he were to grab her and just lay one on her like he did at the airport, it was hardly her fault but unfortunately for her, he seemed to be making an effort to be on his best behavior. She had to do something. Speak, dammit, speak!

"Yes, I forgive you. You were...are...in love with Sami. I should have known better than to try and compete with that." Yes, Sami! Nothing kills a moment better than Sami! Hooray for Sami, for with that comment she was able to break free and find her way upstairs to see what the children had gotten themselves into. She had guessed from the loud thumping noises she would find them jumping on top of their beds. She was right.

"Mommy, look at my room, it's pink just like I wanted!"

"It is a very, princessy pink too," Nicole remarked, her comment adding further delight to her little girl's face.

"Which room are you and daddy going to sleep in?"

She stood there, mouth agape, not sure how to answer. Luckily EJ had made his way upstairs and was there to save her.

"I'm going to show your mommy to her room right now," he said, motioning her to follow with the jerk of his neck. once they were out of earshot of the children, he proceeded to explain, "There are two additional bedrooms. I'll let you choose the one you'd like and I'll take the other."

"Great," she responded, the nod of her head and voice both full of forced enthusiasm.

"Of course in the odd event we might have someone over, like one of the children might have a friend spend the night, then we should share a bedroom but other than that, you will have your privacy."

"Perfect, I'll take this one," she said as she turned to him and flashed her phoniest smile. She wasn't sure why she had assumed from the start that they would be sharing a bedroom or why the fact that they weren't was bothering her. Maybe it was for the sake of the children, even after it had been explained that even though they were all living together mommy and daddy were not a couple. Antonietta had just now seemed to be under the impression they were going to share a room. Yes, she convinced herself that must be the reason because it certainly couldn't be because of that silly dream she'd had the night before where she spent the first night in their new home, snuggled beneath his arm with her face resting on his chest, slowly drifting to sleep as he twirled locks of her hair around his fingers.

Of course it really wasn't merely a dream. Much of it was inspired from memories of their good times together. There had been many occasions where the two of them had laid in each other's arms for hours, wasting away entire days off work in bed basking in a warm embrace. Sometimes they talked about life and love and everything in between and others they would simply lay there listening to the sounds of their rapid breathing and chest-pounding hearts as their hands explored every inch of each other's body.

But it was different for her. She quickly reminded herself that, shaking her head violently back and forth as she attempted to dispel all those silly memories from times past from her brain. She had loved him...still loved him...with all her heart and the difference was he never loved her back. At least not enough.

She vowed from that moment on to remain strong. At least he didn't appear to be trying to win her back so that was a good thing. Let him pine away for Sami because one thing was for certain. She would never give him another chance. Ever. Never. Of course she had already said the same thing at least twice before.

That night, as she lay in bed trying to fall asleep, she attempted to fill her mind with thoughts concerning the children. It wasn't hard to do for there was much to think about. Antonietta's birthday was coming up, they needed to get them enrolled in school, and there were countless mother and child activities she was looking forward to doing with them. She was sure all these thoughts would result in more desirable dreams, and they did in fact aid her in reaching the dream state, but the dream itself was the same as the night before.

Across the hall, EJ lay in bed, yearning to be beside her. He recalled similar visions to hers where they lay in bed in a quiet embrace, feeling the incomparable bliss of being in the company of the one you love most. Of course that was where their visions had differed. She would never allow herself to believe that he loved her more than Samantha, but he did. With all his heart and soul. But the last wall she had built up had proved to be impenetrable, or at least so he thought.

Right now she was in his home, their home, peacefully sleeping in a bed across the hall, far closer than he imagined he would ever get again. He fell asleep with a content smile on his face. Everything was beginning to fall in place just as he'd hoped they would. 


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Back to Present

Salem

"Kristen, what are you trying to pull here," Brady asked as he began to approach her intimidatingly. "Nicole is gone. If she were alive, she would have contacted me..."

"Of course she would if she could. But if I suspect what happened to her is actually what happened, like I said before, she is in danger. You can't afford to dismiss what I'm saying here."

He began to laugh deliriously as approached his bed and collapsed into a sitting position on the foot of it. He slumped over, burying his face in his hands, shaking his head from side to side in confusion. He began to speak all though his voice was considerably muted by the hands shielding his face. "So in other words, a DiMera has kidnapped Nicole, and it's not you." He came out of hiding and sat perfectly upright as he let out another boisterous laugh. "That leaves Chad." He could barely finish the kid's name without breaking into a round of girlish giggling.

Not only was Chad completely disinterested in everything DiMera, he had become somewhat of a slacker in general since his brother's death. He was a troubled kid for sure, but the way Brady saw it, he was more harm to himself than anyone else. He started seeing Abigail again and the two of them had moved in together, but from what he understood Abigail had become more or less his caretaker as he didn't hold a job and was apparently being treated for severe depression. EJ's death had affected him immensely and while the loss of a loved one to violence can certainly trigger one's need to seek vengeance, it simply wasn't the case with Chad and there was no reason in the world for Nicole to be the target.

His train of thought was interrupted by Kristen flashing her cell phone in his face. "How about this guy? Look familiar?"

Brady strained his eyes to make sure they were completely in focus. The picture of the man with the piercing stare on her phone was EJ.

"That picture isn't years old, it's a month old. It was the last picture I took of him before he disappeared."

"You're trying to tell me EJ is still alive."

"Yes, he is. Brady, you know very well the things my father is capable of doing. Look at what he has done to your father. Are you really going to waste precious time debating me on this? Do you really think that my father wouldn't have done everything possible to save his son?"

Brady stared up at her completely entranced as he tried to make sense of it all. She was right in that all though it was still a surprise, it was hardly shocking to learn EJ was still alive. What he couldn't piece together is why he would want to harm Nicole.

She could see the state of confusion he was in and seized this as her opportunity to just get it all out there, before more questions were raised. "When we learned he was dead, after the gunshot, my father begged me to get a hold of his body so he could be brought to Italy where my father was staying. At first I thought he just wanted to make sure he was to be buried beside the rest of the DiMeras in Italy and not cremated per his wishes in his will. But then my father had me meet up with Chyka to get some drug which he wanted me to inject into EJ's body. I still had no idea he was planning to revive him at this point. Anyway, long story short, it was months later until I had found out what father had done. As you know, I went back to Italy when things fell apart for us again." She allowed herself to display a regretful smile before continuing. "I knew something strange was going on in the basement of my father's place. There were a handful of strange men always coming and going so I did some investigating myself and that's when I found EJ. He was in a hospital bed, hooked up on life-support. I just stood there staring at him because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. That's when father found me there and finally explained. He'd been trying every possible operation, drug, you name it, to try and save him. Everyone tried to convince him it was hopeless, even the usual crackpots who are willing to try just about anything. Anyway, he found some new guy who was willing to try his experiment on anyone. He claimed that he could restore life to the brain with a simple drug that would have to be administered by injection several times daily, much like insulin. To everyone's amazement, it worked."

Brady began to chuckle again. Not because any of it was funny, or even unbelievably ridiculous. He actually believed one hundred percent of what she said and simply didn't know how else to react. But he did at least have a question, or a request rather.

"While this is all very fascinating, can we please get to the part where this relates to Nicole."

She nodded affirmitively. "I was just about to start. Anyway, so the drug works and EJ wakes up. At first he doesn't remember anything, not his name, hell he could barely remember how to speak. Right then we were warned that might be the extent of his recovery but then, slowly, he began to regain his basic functions and his memory started to come back but, on the same token, it was quickly apparent he was never going to be the same person."

"How do you mean?"

She thought carefully for a moment. "You ever see Pet Sematary?"

"Huh," Brady asked with a raised eyebrow, completely baffled by the seemingly random question.

"Stephen King's Pet Sematary? Did you ever see the movie, or read the book?"

"Yeah," he answered with much anticipation to see where she was going with this.

"Well, you remember what that one guy was like when they brought him back? His family was warned not to try but they did it anyway and then he ended up killing his own father before everyone ganged up on him and killed him again for good? You remember that part?"

"Yeah," Brady replied in a weak voice as he began to connect the dots.

"Well, that's what he was like. Emotionless, violent, unpredictable, but unlike the character in the movie he was still very smart, and cunning." She paused for a moment to conjure up an Oscar-worthy delivery of her next line. "I never said a word of this to anyone, but I think he was ultimately responsible for our father's death."

Brady supposed under other circumstances he might have an iota of pity toward her and press for further details about Stefano's demise but right now all he wanted to hear was how this all related to Nicole and his patience was wearing thin. "Nicole, Kristen," he vocally prodded her.

"Right, so for whatever reason, he was obsessed with Nicole. He became fixated with her, demanding to know details of her life now. Where she was, what she was doing, who she was with. We really couldn't make sense of it. In fact, father was so disturbed by it that he even found himself explaining to him how he was married to Sami at the time of the shooting, even though father really didn't want him to return to his former life here, but EJ just wasn't interested. We would catch him googling Nicole on the internet, and we're pretty sure he tried contacting her a few times. At times he would appear to desire her romantically, and others...well let's just say he was awful upset remembering her deception throughout her pregnancy with their son."

"Wow, well, that's an incredible story," Brady finally offered after carefully considering all the details. "But-"

"I might be wrong," she interjected before he had the chance to dismiss her account and send her on her way. "I have no idea where EJ is. All I know is that he disappeared about three weeks ago and Nicole not long after that."

"Her body was found in the car! Are you really trying to tell me Elvis-Stein is capable of pulling off some complicated body-swapping scheme like that?"

"Yes, I do. He managed to fool me into thinking he was getting better when clearly he was not."

"But if you don't know for certain what happened to him, you don't know for sure he had something to do with Nicole, how can you say he didn't get better?"

"Because, if you had witnessed his behavior like I did first-hand, the second you heard something happened to Nicole you would draw the exact same conclusion. His obsession with her was very alarming. Believe me Brady, if you had seen what I saw, you would be terrified for her."

"So he's been missing how long?"

"Three weeks."

"And I suppose you never reported this to anyone."

"How could I report it? You know very well what would happen. EJ's not supposed to be alive. Police would spend all their time first trying to get proof that I was telling the truth, which right there poses another problem. I would have to tell them everything father did and my involvement in it and then they would be more concerned with what I had done than finding him."

"Please tell me somebody is looking for him."

"Of course. As soon as he disappeared I've had my entire network looking for him."

Brady shook his head. "What I don't understand is, why didn't you call me, or Nicole, the second he disappeared and warn at least one of us?"

"Honestly Brady, I didn't make the connection right away. I didn't think, 'oh, he escaped to kidnap Nicole.' Before I heard about what happened to her, I only worried that he was sick. There was a new medication he'd started taking to supress his aggressive behavior, and it was very strong. He would walk around like a zombie, you know? So the day he disappeared, I was in Paris on business and I got the call that he never returned home from his walk. A hundred different scenarios came to mind at that time but I never thought about Nicole. We were noticing the medication made him very confused so I worried he forgot who he was all over again or that he got hit by a car, or fell and hurt himself where no one would find him. I even considered that he might have tried to take his own life. You know how most of those medications are, 'serious depression and thoughts of suicide' are often side-effects."

"So then why didn't you contact me the minute you heard about Nicole?"

"Because you would have thought I was some crazy person-"

"Well, you are so I guess that's fair," Brady interjected, refusing to let the opportunity for a cheap shot at Kristen pass him by although he had to admit she was sounding less crazy by the minute. He could tell by her face that his words had stung her and found himself instantly ashamed for finding it satisfying.

"I just didn't want to be impulsive and give you false hope over something that only started out as a hunch. I thought for sure we must be close to finding him so I've spent the last week sniffing out the few clues I had but nothing has panned out. Believe me, contacting you is my last resort. Like I said before, I could be wrong and I'd really hate to be the one responsible for causing you any further pain. I've done far too much of that already and believe me, Brady Black, I never wanted to hurt you. Not then, not now, not ever."

Brady studied her carefully. She seemed so concerned, so sincere, but then again she had always seemed to be a lot of things when the only thing he knew she was for sure was a great actress. He swore he would never let her take advantage of him again after being swindled so many times before but, this was different. It would be completely irresponsible of him to dismiss her, even if it meant him getting hurt again in the end. He definitely didn't trust her and was sure that even if Nicole did turn up alive, Kristen's story would only prove to be about fifty percent accurate at best. But this wasn't about Kristen's integrity, it was about bringing Nicole back to him. He no longer pictured her body engulfed in flames, burning to a crisp at the mention of her name; the disturbing image had played relentlessly over and again in his mind until now and he was glad to be rid of it. Kristen's story brought a fresh new image of Nicole to his mind and although some his imaginings were rather unpleasant, she was still alive in all but one of them. Alive, frightened, and waiting for him to rescue her. There was only one thing he could do, and that was play along with Kristen.

"My people are out in full force looking for him but obviously, it's not enough. But if we work together-"

Brady extended his arm straight out, waiting for her to accept his unspoken invitation to shake his hand. The gesture took her by surprise and she let out a nervous chuckle and allowed herself to break a smile as she accepted.

"Just let me know where I need to start," he finally spoke, placing his other hand on top of her one which was already encased in his grip.

It took every ounce of her control to keep from displaying her true emotion. She really wanted to smack the crap out of him from the beginning and just demand that he do whatever she say. She never imagined it would take so much time to find them and she was getting more impatient by the minute. But she was close. She at least knew where they needed to look and now that she had Kiriakis connections joining the force, she was certain they'd track them down in no time. The only challenge now was making sure that Brady didn't stumble upon the children, but she was well-prepared to counteract any sightings of them with possible explanations for their presence if need be, but she couldn't waste precious time worrying about the what ifs for now. She and Brady needed to get back to where she left off following up on the last known lead.

"London. We need to continue looking in London. There are a few people we need to look into regarding a phone call I received."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Brady darted frantically around his bedroom as he gathered his belongings, carelessly tossing armfuls of unidentified clothing into either of two suitcases he'd laid out on his bed. He really didn't care if he'd packed nothing but striped shirts and plaid pants. It would suit him just fine to wear what he already had on for as long as it took to find Nicole. He hadn't cared about much since she died, disappeared, whatever you want to call it, and imagined he would continue to not care until she was found alive.

It was nearly 8PM which gave him almost an hour before he expected Kristen to pick him up. Thank goodness his grandfather should already be well on his way to Greece on business. The last thing he needed was to bump into him at the airport as he was about to board the DiMera Enterprises jet. It was bad enough that he was going to have to sneak past Maggie who had been unofficially assigned to keep a close eye on him. The woman was completely blind to just about everything his grandfather did but when it came to his business, she put James Bond to shame. He was amazed that Kristen managed to come and go without a full investigation being launched. She must have sneaked by them undetected, as only Kristen could.

Just as he was feeling confident he was in the clear, a knock came upon his door. "Of course," he snorted, shaking his head from side to side, expecting to hear Maggie's nagging voice soon follow. He was surprised by the one that did.

"Hey, Brady, it's Rafe. Can I come in?"

"Rafe. Yeah, man come in."

He really wasn't in the mood for visitors, but at the same time grateful it was him and not someone else. Rafe was one of a very few who didn't annoy the hell out of him, and probably the only other person who truly felt his pain. The guy had loved Nicole. No, not had...still loved her, he was sure, although he was too much of a stand-up guy to admit his feelings were anything more than a strong fondness. His presence at her funeral along with the touching eulogy he shared ensured Nicole got the complimentary tribute she deserved.

"How you holding up," Rafe enquired with genuine concern as he draped an arm across Brady's shoulders, bro-style.

"Ah, you know...as to be expected I guess."

"Uh-huh," Rafe responded skeptically. It had taken all of a minute for him to realize that something was amiss. He could see in Brady's eyes that his mind was going a mile a minute. His voice was distant, and his response to his question was a total phone-in. He seemed nervous, jumpy...almost agitated. For a minute he considered the possibility he might have relapsed. Or, it was Kristen.

"You know, I just ran into your grandfather at the airport."

"You did," Brady responded absently as he checked his phone for the time.

"Yeah, I was out there following up on an investigation and I bumped into him before he was about to board the jet. He asked me to stop by and check on you."

Brady was too preoccupied typing away on his phone to asnwer, if he even heard in the first place.

"He told me Maggie saw Kristen DiMera leave here just a little while ago. You wanna tell me about that?"

"What," Brady shouted back although he hadn't intended his voice to come out that boldly. "Kristen?" He repeated the name as if he'd never heard of such a person before.

"Yeah, Kristen DiMera, how 'bout that. Of course we already knew she was in town so I figured it wouldn't take her long to decide to pay you a visit."

So Bond was working with the authorities now. She surrendered all her intel to the police and was going to allow the justice system to do it's job. "Yeah, yeah Kristen did stop by, you know, to pay her respects."

"Yeah, I'll bet she did. What else did she have to say?"

"I dunno, that was pretty much it," Brady lied, looking everywhere in the room except directly at Rafe during the entire exchange. "She didn't stay long."

"Yeah, I guess she's got places to go, people to find."

"What did you just say?" He nearly dropped his phone as he finally turned his full attention to Rafe.

"The DiMera jet is all fueled up and ready to go-"

"No, nonononono, go back. What do you mean she's got people to find?"

"Why don't you start with telling me exactly what you and Kristen talked about."

Brady stared at Rafe with his mouth agape. Could it really, really be true? Did Rafe know something about EJ and the possibility of Nicole being alive? He was so close to spilling everything but then remembered how Kristen had implored him right before she left that, for Nicole's safety, they must go after EJ quietly and without involving the authorities for fear he would panic once cornered and threaten her life.

"She really just came by to offer her condolences."

"Ok, man, if you say so," Rafe finally seemed to relent, offering a smile to put him at ease. It was merely a ruse to catch him off-guard once again. "So, where are you going?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I see you got your suitcases all laid out over there. Where are you headed?"

Brady sighed frustratedly. "Come on, man, will you just lay off."

"No, I'm not gonna just lay off. Kristen is up to something and whatever it is she's trying to drag you into it. What I can't figure out is why."

"Is it really so unbelievable that she would want to express her sympathies to someone she once planned to marry?"

"It doesn't surprise me she would tell you that's the reason she's here."

Brady let out another more exaggerated sigh than the last one. "So what's her ulterior motive then? Why do you think she's here?"

"I can't tell you that," Rafe stated matter-of-factly.

"Why not?"

"Because it's an ongoing investigation."

"And how long has this ongoing investigation been going on?"

Rafe frowned. "You know I can't discuss details of a case, unless you have something to share."

Brady was caught in a war between sensible, listen-to-your-friend-who-wants-to-help-you-Brady on one shoulder, and desperate, do-whatever-Kristen-says-to-get-Nicole-back-Brady on the other. His head literally whipped from side to sde as he carefully considered both sides of the argument in his head however, in the end, Kristen and her pitchfork swooped in and knocked sensible Brady off his pedestal and he continued to play dumb.

"I don't know what you want me to say. I got nothin', man."

"OK, well I'm sorry to have bothered you. I'm sure the last thing you need right now is me pestering you with pesky cop stuff. It's just that with all the strange stuff going on in casa di DiMera in Italy lately, I just found it odd that she would even have time to stop by and pay her respects. She's been an awfully busy girl these past few weeks."

"Well, I'm sure she is. After all, she is the one running things at DiMera now that Stefano is gone."

"Yeah, at least until the Phoenix rises from the ashes once more, eh? Unless he finally passed his torch on to junior."

Rafe knew he almost had him. That's when he knew it was also time to back off. Although he desperately wanted to know what Kristen shared with him, it was better for Brady to decide to share on his own terms rather than be forced into it only to change his mind later and clam up for good.

He said his goodbyes to Brady, gave him a pat on the back, and planted a seed reminding him he was only a phone call away from whatever he might need. He could only pray that Brady would come to his senses and pick up the phone.

Of course he couldn't tell him any of the facts as per job requirements, but it was also because it was all far too bizarre for them to make any sense of as of yet. Stefano and Kristen relocating to Italy. Kristen's interest in the two unexplained children at the boarding school and their occasional appearance at the mansion. Someone who bears a striking resemblance to EJ roaming around the premises. EJ lookalike disappearing. All hell breaking loose in the DiMera household. It was enough activity to warrant the ISA sending in someone to bug the place. Of course by the time they got the permission required to perform the task, Kristen was on her way out, but they picked up just enough chatter to hear her namedrop, several times, one person whose name they never expected to hear in this whole mess, making the circumstances surrounding her 'death' which soon followed most suspicious. Nicole.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Umina

Nicole surveyed the items she'd laid out on the kitchen countertop and verbally checked each one off the list until she was satisfied she had everything she needed to make her first official family breakfast. She'd spent most of the previous night worrying about this very moment since it had been quite some time since she cooked for herself, let alone anyone else. Not that her cooking was bad: she always thought her cooking to be edible at the very least, if not pretty darn good. Cooking for two small children whose health depended on you however was considerably more challenging, albeit a welcome one.

She had set her alarm clock early enough so she was sure she would beat everyone else out of bed, showered, then dressed the part of Sarah James wearing light tan capris and a sleveless, lightweight cotton, button-down shirt in a bold shade of coral that gave the rather dull, dressed-down look at least a little pizzazz. Her makeup was lightly applied in natural tones in order to acheive the 'barely there' look and she couldn't resist giving herself verbal affirmations in the mirror for a job well done. She wasn't the only one to compliment her look.

"Good morning. You look rather lovely today."

She whipped around to find EJ leaning over the counter in nothing but a short, velvety, maroon bath robe reminiscent of Hugh Heffner's infamous smoking jacket.

"Thanks, you look like you need to march right back upstairs and put some clothes on."

Classic Nicole. Couldn't even take a compliment without deflecting. She was a rare breed who truly didn't know how beautiful she was although he realized that, sadly most of that was a direct result of her upbringing and relationship with her father. Not that he remembered any of that stuff, wink wink.

"Alright, I'm gone. I just wanted to make sure the noise I heard down here was you and not someone else."

"Are the kids up?"

"Dez is still sleeping, and Belle, she's been in laying with me a little bit, full of questions already this morning."

"Dez and Belle. God I hope I get used to calling them by their new names."

"We better get used to it so they can get used to it, although I don't think it will be a problem for Belle. She likes her new name quite a bit more than the old one."

"That makes two of us."

"Make it three, darling."

Nicole paused midway through scrambling a bowl of broken eggs to glare at him accusingly. "It's just you and me, Ethan. You can cut the darling crap."

"Would you prefer I tell you to shut your pie-hole and finish making my breakfast?" He was careful to add enough humor into the delivery of his line to ensure she didn't mistake it for anything more than playful badgering. To his relief she responded in similar fashion.

"Who said I was making you breakfast," she teased back with mock disgust and a wink.

Her comment only made his adoring smile more broad which he quickly attmepted to conceal by rubbing his chin as if determining whether or not to shave. She had always been the one to make him smile, or laugh genuinely and heartily like no other person could. It was the first time in years that everything felt so right, so natural, so perfect.

"So what was our daughter asking you?"

"Oh well you know how much she was looking forward to going shopping today so of course she wanted to know what time we were leaving, who was going to drive, what stores we were going to, can she get a puppy..."

Nicole chuckled gleefully as she imagined what EJ's early morning inquisition must've been like. However something about the look on his face told her there was more to it than that. "OK, so what else did you talk about.

He frowned. "Well, apparently there are some things that I just did not explain to her thoroughly enough but, it's ok. I think I got through to her this morning."

"What things?"

"She doesn't understand why we don't sleep in the same bed, even though she acknowledges that we're not really married and just pretending to be. She wanted to know if I was mad at you, or vice versa."

"Well what did you say?"

"I assured her that no one was mad and I explained that only mommies and daddies who were really married slept in the same bed. She understood perfectly but then started asking if we were ever really married. I was so thankful that Dez woke up and started fussing."

"Oh no, of course not. The horror of it all," she exclaimed dramatically, throwing a hand to her forehead for theatrics. However, it didn't take a course on character study for EJ to deduce that beside her ittle front, his comment had botheed her.

"Hey, that's not what I meant."

He was standing before her now with his hand raised, daring himself to touch her cheek. He instead opted to rest his forearm on her shoulder with his hand supporting the back of her neck. She flinched and he noticed her breathing was becoming more rapid, but she did not push him away.

"I dreaded every moment of speaking to our children about you, but believe me, it's not for the reasons you think. I'm incredibly frustrated that I can't remember you because it's very obvious from the things I've been told that you were very special to me and I feel that I'm doing you a great disservice by not being able to remember. If I don't know the answer to their questions, it doesn't paint a pretty picture for us, and I really don't want to give them the wrong impression. I mean, for us to have almost be married three times and have two children together, there must have been some love there, right?"

"Right," she answered weakly, helplessly caught in the spell of his enchanting gaze. Thankfully, the sound of screaming children running down the stairs was the perfect antidote. She grabbed his hand just long enough to remove it from her neck and proceeded to finish whipping up breakfast without so much as a glance in his direction.

After breakfast, the family headed out as planned, spending the first half of the day at the shopping mall where they would do some extensive clothes shopping as well as browsing for other basic household needs. Unfortunately for Antonietta, a puppy was the only thing left off the itinerary, but only because, as EJ would later discuss with Nicole, it was the perfect gift to save for her upcoming birthday less than a month away.

EJ took complete advantage of every opportunity he could in attempt to swoon her while they were out in the public eye. For the most part he refrained from physical contact, all though he did hold her hand a few times as they strode through the mall corridors and pecked her on the cheek on a couple occasions when the moment seemed right, particularly when he would notice another man making eyes at her. He was aiming for romance over a cheap grope or two, and more than anything, he wanted her to be the one to make the first major move. Although he undeniably had chosen to manipulate their reconnection, it would only be a success if that's what she wanted and he tried not to let his rigid belief that deep down inside she did, govern his actions.

By the middle of the day he began to fear that he'd already pushed her too far. She still didn't dare to look at him when she could help it, and she spent most of her time focusing on the children, which he of course fully expected. They were very much like-minded when it came to putting the children's needs first and what the children needed now more than anything was love and stability and while there was certainly no shortage of love, their family needed a lot of work in the stability department. The way he saw it, it was his job to put it all back together since he was ultimately the one responsible for all three breakups. The first time around he was too distracted by what he wa made to believe he should want to see what was right before his eyes. For round two, he couldn't admit to himself that the real reason he'd struck a deal with her was not to stick it to Samantha, but because he couldn't identify the exact reason he felt he needed to keep her close. When he finally began to realize that it was because he was in love with her, he deliberately set out to sabotage their second marriage by pursuing her sister. He'd convinced himself that making him fall for her was some dastardly plan of hers to exact revenge on him for hurting her. His theory sounded plausible at the time but when he'd seen the hurt in her eyes after learning of his infidelity, he knew he'd made a grave mistake.

He never dreamed he would get another chance after that but she indeed forgave him once more and it had appeared from the onset that this time he had finally gotten it right. He almost didn't try but the hostage crisis had forced him to ponder the unimaginable emptiness of a life without her in it. Once she no longer in danger of losing her life, he vowed to do everything in his power to keep her from slipping further away. He openly expressed his feelings, even in the face of rejection. He seized every opportunity to tell her how wonderful she was, beautiful she was and how much he adored her, even those times she was still trying her hardest to push him away. Then, when he was sure he'd finally penetrated that last layer of protective wall, she dug deeper inside and found a new place to hide. If only he knew it was only temporary. If only Johnny hadn't hid under that stupid table. If only Rafe had done his job keeping his woman happy. He wished he could have made Nicole understand the place he was in when he let it happen, but that was the problem. She would have forgiven him if she realized how much he loved her, but she would eternally be convinced that it was his belief that Samantha was his one and only. And that's why he felt that the clean slate angle was his only hope for repairing the damage he'd done to his family.

After a brief stop at the house to unload their purchases and grab a quick bite to eat, the family made their way to the beach where Nicole was certain they'd be spending at least a small part of every day. EJ was down in the water with Alex in his arms, dipping their little boy into the crashing waves coming toward them. Antonietta had recruited her into helping her find only the prettiest seashells the beach had to offer to decorate her future sandcastle with. At least that was her story.

"Do you love daddy, mommy?"

Nicole froze and internally cursed herself for laughing at EJ's similar predicament that morning. She should have known she would be targeted for the same line of questioning sooner or later and prepared herself for how to answer.

"Yes, yes sweetie, of course I do. It's just very complicated to explain."

"Grownup stuff," her daughter inquired with an arched eyebrow which mimicked her father's so closely that Nicole couldn't help but giggle. "Yeah, grown up stuff. Do yourself and mommy a favor and stay young, ok?"

"Can you see love?"

Nicole thought carefully for a moment. "Well, you can definitely see people showing love toward one another, through hugs and kisses. And then I think that sometimes you can just tell by the way a person looks at you. I surely hope you can see how much I love you, and your brother."

She nodded enthusiastically in response. "And daddy."

"Yes, and your daddy too." What could she do? Her girl had her backed into a corner and she wasn't about to lie to her child.

"So now I can tell daddy what his answer to my question is."

"Which was?"

"Do you love mommy, silly!"

Nicole felt her heart skipping a beat. "He said he didn't know?"

"He said he was sad he couldn't remember but he was sure that he did because he can already see how wonderful you are."

"He did? He said that?"

"Yup, but now I can tell him that he does for sure."

"And how do you know that?"

"Easy, silly. Because he looks at you exactly the same way you look at him. Look."

With one glance up, their eyes locked and in an instant she knew exactly what her daughter meant. She knew her days of strength were numbered. All that was left to do was challenge herself to hold on for as long as she possibly could but at the rate things were going, it wouldn't be much longer at all before her damn fool self would be falling back into his arms.

"So now I know that daddy loves you because he looks the same way at you too!"


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Umina

Next Day

"OK, what's the problem here," Nicole said as she knelt between her two children, playing referee to their debate, which had now become physical, as to which dvd they were going to watch. EJ had just disappeared upstairs to shower and they were waiting on him before they would all venture out and explore the neighboring towns by car so that EJ and Nicole both could become familiar with the landscape. Additionally, before they would leave Umina, they would make a brief stop to meet up with a man that EJ had hired to be their on-call maintenance person for the three, side-by-side duplex homes which they would soon be renting out once some minor renovations were complete.

"I want to watch Buzz Lightyear! I'm sick of watching Rapunzel!"

Nicole couldn't manage to be stern with her sweet little boy, who was clearly outnumbered in size and strength by his older sister, as he lunged at her in attempt to get his brand new, Toy Story DVD back in his possession. Likewise, it was hard to scold her daughter, who was holding the dvd in-demand securely behind her back and out of her brother's reach, even when she was admittedly being a brat. She was so happy and grateful to have them back in her life that she couldn't imagine ever being cross with either of them. Luckily for her, as EJ had always admiringly said to her before, she had a way with children.

"Ok, you two listen up," she said mock-authoritively as she grabbed them both by the waist and drew them close to her for a three-way hug. "We really don't have time to watch either one of those right now because we are going to be leaving very soon. You can play with your toys for now and then if it's not too late when we get home later, Desmond can watch his Toy Story DVD."

"But mommy-"

Nicole cut her daughter short with the shake of her head. "Fair is fair. You were the last one to have control of the tv last night so it is your brother's turn.

"Fine," she replied turning on her heels in dramatic fashion as she strode to the other side of the room. "If I can't watch, I will act it out for you."

She had suspected at first that Antonietta was being defiant but within a minute, her little girl had both her and Alexander giggling delightedly as she reenacted scenes from her new favorite movie, Tangled. She played each character true to form, changing her voice, facial expressions, and demeanor to accurately depict each one, including sticking out her tongue to portray the little chameleon Pascal. When she finally got to the part of the movie where Rapunzel broke out in song, Nicole was floored. Antonietta's angelic voice soared through their home as she perfectly sung the lyrics to "When Will My Life Begin," not missing a single note and just as impeccably as Mandy Moore herself. Even Alex had settled down and watched quietly in awe of his sister's performance.

Nicole was jolted from her mesmirazation by an unexpected noise coming from the front of the house. She immediately jumped up to investigate though she was most regretful to interrupt her daughter's performance. She had found that ever since they left London, all it took was the slightest little noise or anything that was at all unexpected to put her on edge. When she got further into the house and realized the noise was a knock on their front door, she completely began to panic. She tiptoed through the living room and up to the window and ever-so-carefully with her fingertips, parted the curtains to have a peek outside.

The first thing she noticed was the SUV parked behind theirs in the driveway, even though her first instinct was to look toward the front door. When her eyes finally focused where they were intended, she spotted a pretty, blonde-haired woman standing before the door with a huge basket of some sort tucked under her arm. While Nicole was busy surveying the situation, the woman shifted her gaze and spotted Nicole through the window and offered a friendly wave.

Crap, she thought. What else could she do now but open the door? The visitor by all standards seemed to be innocent enough but of course there was always that fear that it was some DiMera operative coming to get them. Then again, she had lived the DiMera lifestyle long enough to realize that if the DiMeras were onto you, you wouldn't even realize it until it was already too late. She bit the bullet and opened the door.

"Hi, neighbor," the pretty, bubbly blonde exclaimed in a thick, Aussie accent as she thrust a basket containing all kinds of goodies in Nicole's direction. "Welcome to the neighborhood!"

"Thank you," Nicole said smiling with genuine gratitude and a bit of relief as she accepted the gift that was being handed to her. "I'm Sarah."

"I'm Natalie. You have no idea how excited I am to meet you. My husband Jeff and I live right across the street and we have have two little ones who seem to be just about the same age as yours."

"Oh," Nicole replied, obviously taken aback by Natalie's comment, though the woman had already begun to explain herself to put her at ease.

"Sorry, I know that must sound stalkerish and I admit we've been spying a bit. We've been dying to know who was going to be moving in and we prayed that it would be a younger couple with children like yourselves."

"It's Ok," Nicole assured her with a friendly smile. "I would be doing the exact same thing."

"Oh, this is so great! Look, I hate to run off on you so quickly but my husband and kids are waiting in the car. They all want to meet you as well but we have got so much running around to do this morning. We are having a little get-together at our place this evening with a few of our friends and we'd love it if you and your family would join us!"

"Uh, yeah, we'd love to," Nicole found herself answering before she had time to deliberate whether or not that was a good idea.

"Aces," Natalie squealed excitedly as she flashed her a thumbs up and danced in-place. "Everyone should start trickling in around four, but you are more than welcome to head on over even earlier than that, or later if you're going to be out and about."

"Yeah, I really don't know how long Ethan is planning on keeping us out, but I'm sure we'll be able to make it over by that time, give or take a few."

"Fabulous," Natalie said as she threw an arm around Nicole and drew her in for a quick, girlfriends hug before taking off down the steps. Once at the foot of the stairs, she turned to face Nicole as she walked backwards toward her waiting vehicle. "There's wine, and cheese, and some fresh fruit in the basket, all from local places, as well as some treats for the kids. Enjoy!"

"Thanks! See you later, neighbor" Nicole called out with a wave before turning to go back inside. When she finally did make it back around, she found EJ standing right behind her.

"What's all this," he asked as he proceeded to take the quite cumbersome gift basket off her hands and set it down on an end table.

"That is a welcoming gift from our new neighbors, Natalie and Jeff and family."

"Look at you, already making nice with the locals."

"Are you mad?"

"Why would I be mad," he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I don't know. I guess cuz we never really discussed how we were going to interact with other people."

"Well, we can't really live holed up here like a bunch of hermits, darling. More than anything we want to fit in. We're not hiding anything as long as we act as if we have nothing to hide."

"I know, and that makes perfect sense. I guess I'm always just going to be a little paranoid."

"It's not necessarily a bad thing to be a little paranoid. We need to be very aware of our surroundings at all times and communication between the two of us is going to be key." He took a seat on the oversize, off-white sofa and beckoned for her to join him by patting the empty seat to his left.

She obliged his request and sat beside him, turning on her side so that her body language was also on par with his. EJ had always been a great listener, communicator, and problem-solver, going back as far as when they first met. After only a few days of knowing him she had shared things with him that she had never told another living soul. While others viewed him as obstinate and intimidating, she had found him to be very open-minded, non-judgmental, and incredibly easy to talk to. When they were together she always looked forward to their long talks before bedtime and she found herself looking forward to whatever it was he wished to discuss now.

"I know we both have common goal here in that we want what is best for our children. We want them to be safe, and happy, and I really do feel strongly that by working together and communicating, we can provide that for them."

"Believe me, we wouldn't be here if I didn't want that."

"I know," he nodded understandingly as he took her hand in his and squeezed it firmly. "I realize I didn't give you much choice in the matter but I do appreciate the sacrifices you've made to keep our family together."

"Well, like you said, what choice did I have? I'm not going to put my children in danger and I'm certainly not going to just walk away."

"I guess what I'm getting at here is, I want you to know that your happiness is important to me too."

Her heart began to race again, the same way it always did whenever they would make eye contact, or accidently brush up against one another, or he'd crack a clever joke or drop a kind comment...or basically anything he could do but yell at her. She was so tickled by his comment that she found herself asking, "Really," just so that she could hear him repeat it.

"Of course I want you to be happy and, I want to assure you that you have a friend in me."

"You know, your son will be so proud to know you learned something from watching Toy Story too," Nicole joked, slapping his lap bruskly with the palm of her hand. She was deflecting again.

"Cute, but I am being very serious. I want you to feel comfortable talking to me because , as the mother of my children, I care for you and your well-being very much and I want you to know you should feel completely comfortable asking me for anything, whether it be actual things that you need or just somebody to talk to."

Her head began nodding well before she was able to choke out a simple, "OK" in response. She felt like falling into his arms and letting him hold her until the stupid tears she felt stinging her eyes went away on their own but she instead opted to hop up off the couch as quickly as she could and wipe her eyes before he noticed just how much his words had meant.

He sensed he had said enough for now and quickly changed the subject to put her at ease. "So tell me more about our neighbors. First impressions?"

She remained with her back toward turned him until she was sure she'd wiped away every hint of moisture from her face. "Well I only met Natalie so far and she seems very nice. She said her and her husband are thrilled that we are a younger couple with kids and she said that theirs are about the same age as Belle and Dez."

"Oh, that is wonderful. It's nice they'll have someone to play with so close."

"Yeah, she said the kids are really excited to meet ours and she invited us to a little shindig over there tonight."

"Perfect!" And it was. He was so close that he could almost feel her back in his arms and an evening where he was free to play the doting husband without having to use restraint was just what he needed. He only wondered how long it would take her to figure out that when it came to his part, there would be zero acting involved and all of the adoring looks, smiles, compliments, hugs and kisses and I love yous were one hundred percent genuine.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Hi," Natalie exclaimed excitedly as she threw open the door for EJ and Nicole at her home directly across the street, inviting them inside. "We're so happy you could make it."

"Well, thank you for having us," EJ said sincerely as he extended his hand for a shake. "I'm Ethan, you've already met Sarah, and these are our children, Belle and Desmond."

"Pleased to meet you all! Come, you must meet everyone else! I promise I'll give you a house tour later on," she called back over her shoulder as she quickly led them through the house front to back. "Right now everyone's in the back yard, dying to meet you."

"Did you hear that darling, people are dying to meet us," EJ leaned into Nicole and whispered into her ear as he also wrapped an arm around her waist to escort her through the house with.

"Boy are they going to be disappointed in you," she quipped sarcastically, though the twinkle in her eye assured him her remark was nothing but playful.

"Alright, first and foremost, I must introduce you to our two rugrats," she began as they set foot outside onto a huge deck surrounding a rather large above-ground swimming pool where two children were seen eagerly swimming to the ladder to exit. "This is our daughter Emma and our son Alex. Emma is seven and Alex is five."

"You were right, pretty close," Nicole remarked, applauding her. "Desmond just turned four and Belle will be eight in a couple of weeks." She turned her attention toward the children and attempted to make an introduction for herself and EJ but all four children were already jumping into the swimming pool, screaming and splashing each other all the way.

Both mothers began to yell the same sentiment about minding their manners after their children at the same time, causing them to chuckle at one another. "I guess we'll have to give them a pass this time," Natalie said, still laughing. "I can't blame them for being excited. They've had absolutely no one to play with since we moved here."

"Oh, when did you move here?"

"We've only been here a month or so ourselves. We were in Sydney and city life with two small children was getting a bit hectic so we settled here, and just in time if I must say so."

"Why do you say that," Nicole asked, throwing a hand up over her eyes to shield them from the sun.

"Well, we just found out we're expecting another little one, much to our surprise."

"Oh, well congratulations! How exciting!"

"Thank you, thank you," Natalie replied appreciatively although it was obvious she did not share every bit of Nicole's enthusiasm.

"Oh," Nicole began in an apologetic tone but the rest of her sentence vanished into thin air as she got lost pondering why that didn't exactly seem to be good news.

Natalie put up her hand indicating she was about to explain. "Oh no, please don't get me wrong. We are absolutely thrilled. It's just that my pregnancies have always been rather difficult and we just recently had a little girl who didn't make it."

"Oh, honey I am so sorry," Nicole said as she hugged Natalie automatically without feeling a need to give the gesture any thought.

"Gosh, I must be the world's worst hostess," Natalie confessed as she wiped a single tear away from each of her eyes with a thumb. "Come on, I think we need to go rescue your husband from Jeff. He's been known to bore people to tears with his ramblings about the decline of the judicial system."

"The judicial system?"

"Yes, he's an attorney, and a damn good one I must say. Honestly, I was only joshing about him boring your husband. He really won't go on about his work unless you engage him about it because he's very modest. He practices family law and he's very passionate about fighting for the best interests of the children and cracking down on domestic violence."

"You must be very proud." A lawyer? Are you kidding me?

"Yes, proud and grateful I suppose because we probably would not have met otherwise."

"Oh, how did you meet?"

"Well, I'm a reporter and I was assigned to cover a court case involving a certain rather famous film star which Jeff happened to be the prosecuting attorney against."

"You don't say," Nicole replied as coolly as she could possibly manage considering that she had literally begun to sweat. The situation had gone from bad to worse so fast that it had to be some kind of joke. How, out of all places, did they manage to move across the street from their very own Australian counterparts? Thankfully little Emma managed to steer her mother's attention away just long enough for Nicole to slip away and hunt down EJ.

"There you are, darling," he said as he slipped an arm around her waist and reeled her toward him, brushing a long strand of her hair away from her cheek with his other arm so that he could plant a kiss there. He followed up with an inconspicuous whisper into her ear. "Be very careful what you tell these two."

"Yes, I know," she spoke quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep the appearance of a happy couple simply sharing a moment. It was EJ's turn to get all tingly inside. "Did he tell you what he does for a living?"

"Yes," he replied, proceeding to rub her back with one hand while they other remained firmly looped around her waist, drawing her as closely to him as possible. "Did she tell you what she does for a living?"

"Yes," she sighed, allowing her head to rest on his chest after surrendering to his embrace. "What are we going to do?"

"Exactly what we're doing right now, sweetheart. We can't exactly run home and avoid them from now on. If we did that they wouldn't be satisfied until they found out why. Just stick to our stories the way we've been rehearsing all day and for the past couple weeks and we'll be fine. Remember, it's not like the whole world is looking for us. Just one person with a lot of connections. They have no reason to question anything we tell them."

"Well what about their son's name being Alex? Dez is confused enough already. What if he's over here playing and doesn't understand not to answer when his name is called? They'll start asking questions then."

"Don't worry about it darling," he said smiling down at her sweetly, well aware that they were now being watched. " I will pull Dez aside in a minute and have another little chat with him and we'll have another family meeting tonight when we go home just to make sure we're all on the same page. Oh, and P.S.-don't look so worried, we have an audience."

"oh-" she began but before she could utter another word or make some other inappropriate facial expression, he kissed her, full on the lips. Although he had been looking forward to this moment all day, he knew he must keep it brief and appropriate for all audiences despite his desire to go for one long enough to shatter the current standing record by far. As completely unromantic as it was, he was careful to time himself so he didn't get too carried away and reluctantly began to pull away after he hit his twenty second mark. To his most pleasant surprise, she put her hand to the back of his neck and firmly drew him back in, doubling the duration from twenty to roughly forty seconds when all was said and done. At that point he had stopped counting. She had never started.

They remained in a close embrace for several seconds afterwards as their eyes searched each other's for whatever hidden meaning might have been buried within that kiss, both drawing the same conclusion that the other's intentions were decidedly more than just for show but EJ decided to not dare bring it up unless she did and Nicole allowed her one slip-up to fly under the radar.

They rejoined Natalie and company, spending the evening sharing prefabricated stories of how they met and fell in love and eventually ended up in Australia, captivating their audience who were completely enthralled with these two people who were obviously very much in love.

Later that night, after the emergency family meeting and the children were tucked into bed, they found themselves not being able to say goodnight and instead opted to pop the cork from the bottle of wine in the gift basket.

They continued to keep pouring glasses as they discussed the day's events and until every drop was gone but not once did one of them bring up the kiss for fear that speaking of it at this point in time would only ruin the moment. They did not run short of topics and it was ultimately the combination of alcohol and the lateness of the hour which finally brought their conversation to an end. EJ had been going on about how Tiffany, one of Natalie's friends, seemed to be miffed at her husband over something when Nicole had tipped sideways and fallen into him after drifting off to sleep.

He held her for a few minutes, relishing every element of being close to her; the warmth of her body on top of his; the sound of her breath; the sweet smell of several combined beauty products which made up her own, irresistible scent. He could have easily remained there all night just like that and that would have been alright by him but he couldn't bring himself to take advantage of her like that, even if he suspected she might be ok with it. Instead, he reluctantly slid out from beneath her and when she didn't stir from his movement, he carried her up the stairs and tucked her into her bed.

For the entire next month their evenings would end much the same way although usually minus the drinking to the point of passing out except for maybe one more occasion. Usually one or the other, more often Nicole, would manage to call it a night and go off to bed on their own accord. For the last six days covering that time span however, EJ would find himself being awaken in the middle of the night when Nicole would quietly slip into his room and beneath the covers with him and fall fast asleep in his arms.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Umina

One month later

After successfully getting the children seated at the breakfast table to their bowls of cereal, EJ quietly darted upstairs to go check on Nicole. Since the day they'd arrived she'd always been the first one out of bed but this morning he hadn't heard any movement coming from her room and, most alarmingly, she had not come to him last night. It had started to become a ritual, her tiptoeing into his room and climbing into bed beside him and cuddling up without speaking a word. It had been a most pleasant surprise and he'd been much too afraid to ask why for fear of pushing her away, but he'd prepared himself to address the subject last night only for her to pull a no-show. Perhaps she just sensed that her time was up and he was going to press her to confront her feelings. Or, worse yet, maybe she came to the conclusion that, despite some residual feelings of love and longing, there simply wasn't anything between them anymore. He considered that to be the more unlikely option.

Of course she could also very well be sick. She had said so herself the day before that she was feeling a bit under the weather even though she didn't display any tell-tale symptoms of being ill other than appearing a bit lethargic and distracted which he believed was more of a sign that she had something on her mind as opposed to being sick. He'd tried to get her to talk after they'd put the kids to bed and they did, but whatever it was that was truly on her mind she had chosen not to share. He was most concerned.

His knuckles rapped softly on her bedroom door to simply give a pre-warning he was letting himself in. She was awake sitting on the edge of the side of her bed, slightly slumped over. Her head had been bowed when he initially opened the door but she had looked up to greet him, forcing a smile.

"Hey you," she offered simply, leaving it up to him to determine the direction of conversation to follow.

"Are you alright?" He knew immediately she wasn't. She didn't look well at all. Before she had chance to respond, he took a seat beside her and reached for her forehead in attempt to diagnose whether or not she might have a fever. To his relief, she felt cool rather than overly warm.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I think," she said, quickly trying to dismiss his concerns, giving him a comforting rub on his thigh for good measure.

"'You think' doesn't sound very convincing to me." She wasn't convincing at all. She seemed to be overly-dissmissive of anything being wrong which was always a red flag.

She giggled. "No, I guess not, but really...I'll be fine. I think I just need to skip the beach today. I'm just not feeling up to it."

"That's fine, darling. Just because we live by the water doesn't mean we need to be there every day. We can stay in and-"

"No, you should take the kids. Belle is so looking forward to using her new sand castle molds."

"Well, I'll call Natalie and see if she wouldn't mind watching them all on her own."

"You can't do that to her," Nicole exclaimed, smacking him on the arm playfully, although with enough force to leave a bit of a sting. "She's pregnant, you can't leave her responsible for chasing after four screaming kids."

"Alright, fine. Then they can wait 'til tomorrow to go to the beach."

"No, it's going to rain tomorrow so you're going to take them today."

"Yes, drill sergeant," he shouted back at her in response, conjuring his best impression of an enlisted military man.

"That's more like it."

"Well that wasn't exactly a yes, darling. Just me mocking you. We're not going."

"What is the big deal?"

"The big deal is that something is wrong, and you won't tell me what it is." She was silent. A clear indicator he was right. "I thought we agreed we were going to keep the communication lines open."

She bounced backward on the bed, pulling her legs up on it completely and crossing them beneath her. She folded her arms at the elbows protectively over her stomach. She was on defense and he had dealt with her long enough to know that any further questioning at this point wouldn't lead to anything but an argument. With that in mind, he got up to leave.

"EJ-"

He paused at her request and turned around to find her approaching him. She forced another smile although he sensed that her intentions for doing so were merely to put him at ease. He managed somewhat of a relieved smile in response and laid his hand on her shoulder for comfort as she sought to explain.

"I just need a little time to myself. Can you please just do me this favor?"

He frowned."You realize, this favor you're asking concerns me a great deal."

"Because I want five minutes to myself?" She looked at him as if he were the most unreasonable man on earth.

"Well there's a whole lot of damage that could be done in only five minutes."

She shook her head at him disbelievingly. "What do you think, that I'm going to run, while you're out with the children?"

"Well, maybe not run but you could certainly put in a phone call or two."

"WOW," she exclaimed as she broke free of his embrace and began pacing the room. "So I suppose we're back to square one now? You don't trust me, after everything we've been through?"

She was shouting now. He approached her with intentions of only trying to calm her. "Sweetheart, please, keep your voice down."

"I can't believe you-," she seethed back quietly, heeding his request solely for the sake of the children.

"How can you expect me to believe you when it is clear that you're not doing your part in communicating."

"What are you talking about?"

"What I'm talking about is that you're holding out on me. You agree with me one hundred percent over the virtues of communication yet you're clearly not telling me everything that is on your mind."

"Like what," she asked demandingly.

"Like why you feel the need to crawl into bed with me every night?"

She stood there with her mouth agape, clearly caught off-guard.

He began to sweat. This was not how he'd wanted to address the situation because he knew she would react as she did.

"Oh," she finally said softly. "I'm sorry that it's been bothering you."

"That's not what I said, nor are you answering my question."

She thought carefully before choosing her next words in attempt to find that perfect comeback, and she did. Or so she thought. "Why did you wait so long to ask me about it if it's been bothering you so much? Talk about poor communication."

She stood there smiling triumphantly with her arms folded across her chest as she watched him squirm. His face had turned a rather unflattering shade of red and she noticed tiny sweat beads forming on his forehead. She prematurely began to declare herself the winner.

"All right, that's fair," he finally offered with a shrug of his shoulders. "I suppose I have been hesitant to ask you about it but, since you put it that way, I will be honest. I didn't want to bring it up because I thought if I did I might discourage you from doing it again."

She was dead silent as she stared into his eyes. She hadn't expected him to be so forthcoming about his part in the little game they'd been playing. The pressure was on for her to speak the truth and now it was she who began to sweat. Her only hope was now that she could get him to share more first before it was her time to speak. She knew it was inevitable it would eventually come up, but why did it have to be today? At least it served as a distraction from him getting to the bottom of the issue which was really plaguing her.

Yes, there was that thing. Why, oh why did they have to get into this now? She'd been so anxious all night as she waited for morning to come, which was really the main reason that she didn't go to his room last night. She was far too restless and chose to stay in her own bed for fear of keeping him up all night. She thought for sure that by this time she could have successfully sent them off on their own to the beach and then she would know for sure before they arrived home whether or not she would have to tell him the thing that had been bothering her all day.

But maybe she could turn this into a positive thing. Her pressing him to share proved to put him in an uncomfortable spot as well. She saw this as a golden opportunity to at least buy her some time. She softened her expression and began to inch back in his direction, smiling for reassurance.

"If I promise you I'm not going to do anything stupid, which I never intended to for-the-record, will you please just give me this time that I ask?" She paused for a moment to wait for some sort of response, but when she got none she was forced to add additional offers to her plea. "I promise you, if you just give me this time to think things over, I will tell you everything you want to know. And maybe just throw some stuff in there on my own."

Good," He said, smiling down at her contently, clearly pacified by her offer. "It's a deal. He then did something else most unexpected. He slid the palm of his hand beneath her chin and gently tilted her face upward, positioning her perfectly for his tender kiss to follow.

She wanted to push him away. No, not want to...had to. There was nobody around, no need for them to be playing husband and wife. It didn't matter that it was completely incredible. Like any other bad addiction, she needed to learn to say no but before she would be forced to make a move, it was already over.

This time it was he who was smiling triumphantly. It was this look that he left her with, leaving her standing there panting and wondering what in the world had just happened. When she finally came back to her senses, she ran to the doorway and hollered after him, "you better explain that later, mister!"

He was already long gone and could be heard rounding up the children downstairs. Through her slightly cracked bedroom door she could hear him explaining to the children that she wasn't feeling well and was resting, and after a few minutes more of hearing the typical shuffling noises of people busily moving about the house, she finally heard the familiar sound of the front door closing. She hopped over to the window to confirm their departure and waited until they disappeared far enough down the road to ensure they weren't coming back before she started her mission.

She opened the top drawer of her dresser where she stored her intimates and rustled through the top layer of panties until she came upon the plastic bag from the pharmacy which she'd hidden in there the night before. She then flew into the bathroom, pulling the contents from the bag as she ran and removed an item from it's exterior box before reaching the toilet. She squirmed uncomfortably as there was a bit of delay removing the stick from the inner packing materials and she feared for a moment that she would wet the floor, but thankfully freed the pregnancy test just in time for her to collapse onto the seat and pass it through her urine stream.

She turned her attention back to the box which was the pregnancy-test-for-dummies version of the home test with the results clearly spelling out either, 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant' for the benefit of those who were confused by other such things as one line or two, or 'yes' or 'no' even.

She tried to be patient and wait the three-to-five minute window but she found herself grabbing the stick and staring impatiently for the result to appear. Slowly, it began to fade in, and she watched the clock carefully to make sure that all five minutes were absolutely accounted for before accepting the fact that the word 'not' was no longer going to magically appear before the 'pregnant' which was displayed on it's own in perfectly clear, bold lettering.

She sighed deeply. She was somewhat relieved to unravel the mystery behind her shrinking clothes, moods swings, and mild nausea but when the reality of it all finally began to sink in, so did the usual, awful morning sickness typical of her pregnancies.

She expected the news itself played a partial role. The very fact that she was pregnant alone was enough to cause her alarm. Even her now knowing her children had survived, she still feared there was some truth to her childbearing woes. But it wasn't the main thing plaguing her. It was Brady's baby and she knew, as things stood now, she would never be able to tell him. And then, there was figuring out how she was going to tell EJ. Hey, he wanted her to share.

She couldn't help that the thought of his stunned expression caused her to let a single chuckle escape. "Well, Elvis. Looks like you're about to hear a little more than you bargained for," she managed to chirp out loud before she heaved into the wastebasket one last time.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

EJ was nervous. He knew that something was terribly off with Nicole. He'd worried about her all morning while at the beach with the children and his concern only increased when they got home early that afternoon. He could tell that she had been crying and that something was weighing heavily on her mind but each time he attempted to pull her aside for a chat she'd insisted they wait until after they put the children to bed for the night.

He shouldn't have kissed her. That combined with confronting her about her nightly visits had been much too aggressive of him. After all, if she wasn't planning to run, which he truly believed she wasn't, then surely her reason for not coming to him the previous night was that she had already begun to question herself why.

Winning her back again was not going to be easy. He realized that. Each time he'd convinced her to give him another try he'd had to work twice as hard as the last, with his final attempt prior to this one being most unsuccessful. Of course he had purposely relented a bit after discovering she was pregnant although that revelation had really made him even more desperate to mend things. He found himself amidst a whirlwind of unpredictable emotions and never knew himself how he was going to react upon seeing her until they were standing face to face. Most of the time he only tried to convince her how much he loved her and needed her in his life, but others he found himself saying some very vile things and making horrific empty threats. He could tell she was tormented, but not so much by his words. She had always been the only one to truly understand him and realize that his bark was always worse than his bite. She would challenge him to go through with his threats because she knew that he wouldn't. He couldn't. It was a well-kept secret of theirs that when it came to the people he loved, he was merely a teddy bear wearing a bee costume. What was truly tormenting her was that she wanted him back. He knew that she did and this wasn't a case of him just having some huge ego where the thought of somebody not wanting to be with him was just unimaginable. He read her like a book through her body language. He could see the yearning in her eyes but along with it also came a great deal of pain. He knew that regardless of what she wanted, she would do everything possible to protect herself from being further inflicted. And that was only from the damage that he had done. When she lost the baby, or so they were made to believe, she was completely destroyed. The baby had been the only positive positive thing in the mess he'd made of his life. Her pregnancy had seemed to be going so well and she had carried their little boy almost to term. Even if she never took him back, he was content with the fact that, at the very least, he had been the one to give her the one thing that could make her truly happy.

Thinking they had lost the baby had been the final, devastating blow. He stopped pursuing her; something which he cursed himself for now but at the time, he hadn't the will to go on. He lost her, then the baby, and then finally the belief that he could mend things. He bailed at the very time where he could actually step up to the plate and prove to her what he was made of because he was too busy feeling sorry for himself. To make matters worse, he fell back into his Samantha's lap as he always did when he was at his lowest. It was a strange ritual he'd somehow developed when he felt the need to wallow in his misery and the only sense he could make of it was that maybe it was God's way of showing him what kind of woman he actually deserved as opposed to the woman he wanted and could make him happy. Yes, God was punishing him for his misdeeds by forbidding things to work out with Nicole and the continued nonsense with Samantha was simply His way of saying, 'Hey man, sorry to be the bearer of good news but, this is the best you're gonna get.'"

But there was new hope now. They had their children. They were getting along superbly. He hadn't been so happy as he'd been during the last month since the night he had proposed to her, and she seemed to be enjoying his company every bit as much, even if in spite of herself. Samantha was a million miles away and remarried, leading him to believe that perhaps there was somebody out there after all who was a more miserable prick than he and he'd managed to get moved down a few notches on the naughty list. The most significant change for the better however was the one within himself. He learned a most valuable lesson last time and now knew exactly what he needed to do. He would never give up on her again, no matter how hard she might try to fight.

It was a painfully long day. Each time he'd looked at the clock the hands had appeared to barely move. Every time he locked eyes with Nicole, he could see she was anxious to talk, making him even more eager to hear whatever it was she had to say. After finally tucking Desmond in bed, he'd flown down the stairs and began the nightly routine of setting out the wine glasses and popping the cork on a bottle to allow it to breathe while Nicole finished reading a story to Belle. He could still hear Nicole's voice resonating through the floorboards. Clueless as to how to pass the time, he began scrambling for something, anything to do to keep him occupied. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the candle on the coffee table and for a moment entertained the idea of taking their little chat outside by candellight but then of course she might think he was trying to be romantic and get the wrong idea so he quickly nixed the candle idea. It was truly a shame a man had to be afraid to light a candle in his own house.

"Well, Belle is in bed. I just can't guarantee she's going to stay there."

He whipped around to find her just stepping off the foot of the stairs as she tied a loose knot in the belt of a navy-blue, wrap-around sweater which topped off the pair of light grey yoga pants she was wearing. Only Nicole could wear such a getup and still look smashing. He wondered if the look on his face was half as enamored as he felt.

"What," she asked, looking at him perplexed. Obviously he must have some stupid expression.

"It's just that you look so beautiful." She reacted as if the words truly surprised her. In his opinion, that had always been the most beautiful thing about her.

"Thank you," she said graciously though it was clear that the compliment had also made her at least slightly uncomfortable. "How was Dez? Did he go right to sleep?"

He successfully fought the urge to frown after her sneaky redirection of the conversation. "I think it took all of two minutes after his head hit the pillow."

"Yeah, he was starting to get pretty cranky there."

There was an awkward silence which followed which had the two of them staring after one another for quite some time without so much as the bat of an eyelid. It was EJ who finally broke the tension by leaving the living room briefly to pour them both a glass of wine. He reentered the room carrying both, already filled wine glasses in one hand and remainder of the bottle of pinot noir in the other. He didn't pay much attention to the strange expression on her face as she accepted the glass being passed to her.

"Thanks," she responded purely out of politeness, then followed him to the sofa where they sat down side-by-side. After all, she couldn't very well blurt out, 'Sorry, I'm pregnant. I'll have to pass.' Or could she?

"This is from that case we bought at that winery the other day. I know you've been dying to crack this baby open. Cheers!"

She began to laugh hysterically as she clinked her glass against his, leaving him completely bewildered as to the root of her joviality.

"What? What is it?"

She could barely manage to stop laughing enough to respond coherently. "Oh god. You have no idea how funny that was, what you said."

He looked more confused than ever. "What? What did I say."

She began to laugh even harder, to the point of tears streaming down her cheeks. It took nearly a full minute to regain some composure so she could begin to explain. She finally managed to eke out her sentence in it's entirety between laughs. "You said...I've been dying...to...crack...this baby open."

"Sweetheart, you're supposed to get this way after you've had a few drinks, not before."

She began to sober up realizing that the source of her outburst was probably due more to nerves than his choice of words. But it was still pretty damn funny.

"OK," she said after taking a deep, renewing breath and then proceeded to focus on exactly how she was going to drop the bomb.

"Wow, this really is quite good," he remarked after taking a sip of his drink. "Come on, darling, try it."

"I can't." Yes it was tacky and a bit contrived but it was also the perfect opportunity to just get it out in the open. She decided to go with it.

"Oh come on, what do you mean you can't? You've been drinking me under the table every night for the last month! Don't go straight on me now."

"I'm pregnant."

EJ was still chuckling from his own words when it finally began to register with him what she had said. Although he knew those words could not easily be mistaken for something else, he needed to repeat them for confirmation however, "pregnant" in the form of a question was all he could manage to muster out.

"Yes. Pregnant," she acknowledged quietly, shaking her head to the affirmitive for further reassurance he'd heard her correctly.

His heart began racing in his chest, sending the blood in his veins coursing through his body full-speed ahead as a result of his elevated nervousness. Pregnant? How could she be pregnant? He was so blown away by the unexpected news that he actually had to stop and think when he might have accomplished this only to come to the disappointing conclusion that he wasn't the one responsible. If she was truly pregnant, it was with Brady's child.

"Are you sure?" He asked softly as he set down his wine glass and slid a few more inches toward her so that he was close enough to slip an arm across her shoulders for comfort.

"As sure as I can be without a doctor's confirmation, I suppose. I took a home test this morning but I had pretty much figured it out yesterday."

A million horrific thoughts passed through his brain as he individually recalled each and every night over the past month where they had shared and entire bottle of wine, but even that wasn't nearly as alarming as the fact that he had drugged her. He had given permission to Arthur and Jeremy that they could use chloroform on her if need be when they had taken her. He never imagined she could be pregnant. Dear God, if anything were to happen to the baby on account of him he could never forgive himself and Nicole certainly wouldn't either.

"EJ, please say something."

His thought train must have preoccupied him much longer than he realized. There was plenty to say though he hadn't a clue where to start, and he was still much too afraid to say the one thing he wanted to most of all. She was obviously very fragile at the moment and visibly just as nervous as he. She had been continuously rubbing her shaky hands throughout the entire conversation and her voice was full of tension whenever she spoke. Tears for the moment were still confined to her eyes but appeared as though they were ready to start falling at any given time. He nearly blurted out what he was dying to say but at the last minute opted to physically convey his message instead.

He pulled her into his arms and gently pressed her head to his chest with a hand supporting the back of her head. She finally broke down and allowed herself to cry and he soothingly rocked her back and forth and kissed the top of her head, repeating a promise that 'everything is going to be alright.'

There was so much to be discussed. So many concerns and decisions that needed to be made but, in that moment, he had recognized the one thing that she needed above all and she relished every moment of being held in his comforting embrace. He had a way of making her feel so safe and secure...something she had never felt in anyone else's arms, but she supposed the answer to that riddle was really quite simple. Though he had indeed hurt her more than anyone else ever had, he'd also loved her more passionately than anything she had ever experienced before, or even thought possible. Of course love wasn't always enough.

"What are we going to do," she was finally able to squeak out though her words ended up being considerably muffled due to the position of her face still pressed into his chest.

He squeezed her tighter and kissed the top of her head once more before answering in the kindest, most comforting and reassuring voice which came one hundred percent unrehearsed and from the heart. "We're going to have a baby, that's what." He couldn't believe the amount of joy saying those words had brought to his soul. It didn't matter the baby wasn't his. He or she was a part of Nicole and that was enough for this baby to earn his unconditional love as well. 


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

By early afternoon the next day, EJ and Nicole found themselves sitting side by side and hand in hand on a small, industrial, two seat sofa situated in the office waiting area of a Dr. Victor Siegel, OB/GYN in Sydney. Last night, after deciding the first step would be to establish her with a doctor as soon as possible, they developed a game plan for this morning, starting with dropping the children off at their respective schools and then asking Natalie to join them for breakfast. They met her at the quaint little seaside cafe close to their favorite beach spot and confessed their ulterior motive for the invite: they needed the name of her baby doctor. Their always exuberant new friend was over-the-moon excited as expected, and not only gladly shared her info, but got on the phone to the doctor's office herself and pushed for the earliest possible appointment they would be able to make for that very same day. They were able to secure an eleven AM appointment and with Sydney being an hour away, they quickly concluded their little rendezvous with Natalie, promising to treat her and her family all to a proper dinner at a later date in addition to picking up the tab for breakfast. It was the least they could do for the many favors she performed for them that day, which in addition to sharing her doctor information involved picking up both Dez and Belle from their schools and watching them until they got back from Sydney.

They had made just a brief stop back at the house at EJ's request and while he ran inside to retrieve some extra cash and a light jacket for each of them, she opted to stay in the car and make the phone calls to the childrens' schools authorizing Natalie to pick them up for the day. They didn't discuss her pregnancy at all. Conversation between the two altogether was weirdly random as they jumped from one topic to the next without any forewarning, just to avoid discussing the baby. It was a decision they had made together the night before that they wouldn't talk about the baby and make all sorts of premature decisions until they knew exactly what they were dealing with as far as her pregnancy was concerned. However, simply not speaking of the baby hardly meant it wasn't weighing heavily on their minds and during those moments of silence when they were clearly both thinking about nothing but, EJ had made a point of reaching over to squeeze her hand on several occasions just to offer her some much needed comfort and reassurance.

It was well past eleven now and they had not yet been called. They had managed to arrive a respectable half hour early despite their short notice and were both beginning to grow very unnerved, even though they completely understood that delay was due to Dr. Siegel being called away to address an emergency. He could feel how violently she was trembling. She was nervous, stressed, udoubtedly upset over a pregnancy which under normal circumstances should be exciting news.

Of course there was the Brady factor which was likey the plaguing Nicole just as much as the baby's health. She knew she couldn't contact him, especially considering Kristen's infatuation with him. EJ had proposed the theory from the start that if Kristen made the connection between his and the children's disappearance and Nicole's 'death', which he was fairly certain she would, that she might try to reach out to Brady for help. If Nicole attempted so much as a phone call just to hear his voice, Kristen would be all over it like flies on a log just as she likely was knee-deep investigating the call that Antonietta had made. Still, even though he knew Nicole would never do anything to jeopardize her children's safety, it didn't make her decision to keep her baby's existence a secret from his or her father an easy one, especially considering, according to Nicole anyway, she and Brady were very much in love.

He felt for her. He truly, deeply did, regardless of his own feelings about the man. He hadn't realized the position he'd be putting her in when he whisked her away, but there simply was no other way for her to be both with her children and safe. His only consolation was that he was nearly one hundred percent certain that had he given her the option she would have made the same choice even if she and Brady both had known she was expecting at the time. Nicole would do anything for her children and to know they were in harm's way would make her a formidable force to be reckoned with. Much like himself, she would stop at nothing to protect them which was another reason why, among many, that they were so perfect for one another. Those they loved, they loved fiercely and passionately and god help anyone who might try to hurt one of them.

Of course she would be worrying about the pregnancy itself more than anything, and it was this that was his greatest concern as well. Although both of Nicole's children were alive, it didn't mean there was nothing at all for them to worry about. When she was pregnant with Antonietta, whether or not she would be able to carry the baby to term was a question that had been raised from the start. Of course he knew now that his father had taken her, but he didn't know the details of how it had been done. He wouldn't put it past his father to try to take the baby away as soon as possible, but there was always that risk of something happening to the child during those early stages and he had to wonder if his father had been forced to react quickly because the baby had truly been in distress. With their son, she had in fact carried almost to term and may very well have given birth to a healthy baby boy without his father's interference. Then again, it could have been his father's involvement which made it possible. He simply didn't know, and that was a very frightening thing.

To make matters more complicated, the false documentation required to establish their new identities didn't end with passports and drivers' licenses. Birth certificates, a marriage certificate, high school and college diplomas and countless other pieces of paperwork were all created out of thin air to establish their backgrounds. And so were their medical records. Sarah James, unlike her portrayer, had two rather uneventful, problem-free pregnancies. If Dr. Siegel was a good doctor, he would treat her by combining what he sees now with her history. If he was a great doctor, then he should realize that something didn't add up. That was fine. He wanted nothing but the very best treatment for her and he came prepared knowing that securing proper care was going to come with a hefty price tag.

"Sarah?"

They both jumped from their seats simultaneously in response to the tiny, young, brunette haired girl who appeared in the doorway leading to the exam rooms beckoning for them. They spent several minutes with the girl, who introduced herself as Megan, as she performed the basic health assessment and asked some preliminary questions about the discovery of her pregnancy and how far she might be along before leaving them alone to wait for the doctor. As soon as she closed the door as she left, Nicole grabbed EJ by the arm and yanked him to her side.

"Oh my god, what are we going to do," she began panicking in a raised whisper. "He's going to ask all kinds of questions about my pregnancies. I've seen Belle and Dez's records. What am I supposed to tell him? There is absolutely nothing in there to support them being born prematurely."

"Sweetheart, don't worry about it. He's a good doctor, I did some checking up on him myself before we left this morning. If there is anything at all to be conerned with, he's going to see it."

"So, in other words, I'm supposed to just lie and hope for the best?"

He frowned. This was the part that he hated. His head nodded to her in response. "I'm afraid we don't have a choice but to go with what is in those records. But, I don't want you to worry. I have a plan."

She rolled her eyes. "Somehow that statement isn't comforting to me. What exactly is your plan?"

"I thought you'd never ask. So, ok, I'm going to ask to see Dr. Siegel myself and then I'm going to stress to him how nervous I am for this baby because, and don't shoot me for this, I am concerned for you and the baby because you've hit that over thirty-five mark and we're going to say that your sister had similar issues. Got it?"

It was her turn to frown. "Well, it's hardly the stuff made by geniuses but I guess that'll have to do."

She was obviously disappointed in him but there was no way he could tell her his real plan. He would bear the stress of that situation all on his own.

"It'll be fine, darling" he said, kissing the top of her head. "As a matter of fact, I'm going to see if I can grab him right now before we get started. Will you be alright?"

"Yeah," she managed to respond faintly, her voice ladened with sadness as she waved him away. "Go do your thing."

This was the worst thing he'd done yet, far surpassing lying about the whole memory thing. She was probably by now thinking he could care less if the baby survived or not since after all it was't his, but that couldn't be any further from the truth. The survival of this baby now became top on his priority list, so much that he was willing to make one small security breach without Nicole having any knowledge of the situation, for fear of it causing her eve more stress. Of course it was probably going to affect things between them as well, throwing the entire past month's progress with her out the window, but it was a small sacrifice compared to what was really at stake. There was no way he could let Nicole lose this baby.

He discovered the door with Dr. Siegel's name on the outside and took the liberty of barging right in without so much as a knock. The seemingly forty-something man with early-stage salt and pepper medium brown hair appeared only slightly startled by his unexpected guest.

"Oh, sir, the bathroom is on the left if that's what you're looking for."

EJ however continued to make his way inside, shutting the door behind him. "I wasn't looking for the bathroom, I was looking for you."

"I see," he responded, straightening his position in his chair behind the large, dark wood desk. "I'm just about to see a patient, and-"

"I know. Sarah James is her name. I'm her husband, Ethan."

"Ah, Ethan, good to meet you," Dr. Siegel responded, hopping from his chair and approaching EJ with an extended arm. "I'm sorry top have kept you folks waiting so long. Believe me, I was just heading in there so we can-"

"I need to talk to you alone first. There are some concerns I'd like to address which I wish not to discuss in front of my wife."

"Certainly, have a seat."

Doctor Siegel didn't appear to be at all disturbed by his approach just yet. Apparently worrywart fathers weren't at all uncommon in his practice.

"Do you have children, Dr. Siegel," EJ enquired though he had apparently discovered the answer to his question before the doctor had a chance to answer. His desk and walls both were cluttered with pictures of himself with a beautiful brunette woman and two teenage children in various groupings with bothchildren bearing an undeniable resemblance to their two parents.

"Yes, I do."

"Ah, I can see that now," EJ replied gregariously, indicating the photographs with a nod of his head. "They're a good looking bunch."

"Thank you. I understand that you and Sarah already have two children yourselves."

"We have three, doctor. This baby is already a part of ou family."

"Of course. So what is it that you feel the need to address?"

"I want to make sure that Sarah and this baby get the best possible care."

"I assure you, they will Mr. James. Beieve me, when it comes to my patients, I leave no stone unturned."

"I'm glad to hear it. But I think you're going to need my help with that, and I'm going to need yours."

"I don't quite understand."At last the good doc appeared to be getting somewhat uncomfortable.

"She won't be telling you the truth about her medical history. I'm sure you'll put two and two together yourself once you see her records, but I don't want you to question her when you notice something is amiss."

"What are we talking about here?"

"You'd do anything to keep your family safe, wouldn't you?"

"What?" The doctor was now growing pale, and visibly shaken by the odd question.

"Seriously, doctor, answer my question." His piercing gaze into the petrified man's eyes was demanding, intimidating, and completely terrifying to the person on the receiving end.

"Yes. Of course."

"Good, then we understand one another because really, all I'm doing is ensuring my family's safety and well-being and, like I said, I need your help with that for the sake of this baby. Of course your help is going to require a lot of cooperation between you and me and your word that you will not only do anything I ask of you but you will keep quiet about it."

"And why would I do that?"

"Well, I'll give you two options. I think you'll really like option A." He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and retrieved a thick, white, unmarked envelope and tossed it onto the desk in front of the doctor. "That's a hundred thousand dollars to start, to be paid per-visit for the duration of her pregnancy, for doing nothing more than keeping a tight lip over our little secret."

"And my other option is?"

EJ frowned. "Let's just put it this way. You being a family man, I strongly urge you to go with option A."

He nodded understandingly. "What is it you want me to do."

EJ smiled victoriousy. "I just want you to have access to her complete medical history, something that I'll need you to get for me, and you won't find that under Sarah James. She's been using an alias for protection."

He shook his head, even more confused and frightened than before, as he grabbed the closest pen and piece of scrap paper on his desk. "Alright, so who am I looking for."

"Don't write it down. I'm sure you won't have trouble remembering the name DiMera. Nicole Walker DiMera."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Nicole studied the large, round clock on the wall, counting every second along with the hand which indicated it's respective measurement of time along with a clearly audible tick which seemed to resonate off the walls of the tiny examination room. It was just a few minutes after 1 PM and over two hours past their scheduled appointment time. Her patience was wearing thin and she was just about to reach over and flick on the ultrasound machine and do the exam herself when EJ finally reentered the room with whom she supposed was Dr. Siegel following close behind. He confirmed her suspicions by introducing himself as such then took a seat on the stool next to the exam table where she lay. EJ took his designated spot on the opposite side, taking her hand in his for support.

"Sorry to keep you waiting sweetheart," EJ said softly as he drew her hand to his lips for a kiss. "Don't blame Dr. Siegel here, he's a good man. I'm afraid it was all my fault."

His eyes were twinkling mischieviously as they always did when he was up to no good. He thoroughly enjoyed BS-ing people and she suddenly felt regretful that she had not been around to witness his performance. He was also wearing that familiar smug expression which she had always found so alluring, topped off with a cocky, triumphant wink which was his signal to her that his little plan had gone accordingly. From the way the doctor's hands were shaking as he studied her chart, she began to ponder exactly what EJ might have said to him.

The doctor seemed to settle down and be more at ease as he engaged the two of them in an extensive Q&amp;A session and a review of the information she'd already provided with most questions centered around determining when she might have conceived. The only factor she knew for sure was the very last time it could have happened: September 30th, the night before she left for London. It was November 28th now which meant that, at the very least, she had to be seven weeks along although she chose to keep that fact private. After all, it wouldn't look good for her to be able to pinpoint nearly two months ago as the last time she'd had sex with her "husband." Of course doctors were typically more interested in the date of of your last period anyway, but considering hers were always irregular and unpredictable, that made that little tidbit of information also unreliable. She hadn't really had what she would consider an actual period since early August and found it hard to believe she could be that far along. The only way to know for sure was by ultrasound which Dr. Siegel informed her would be the next part of her evaluation.

She beamed up at EJ as the doctor busied himself with the preparations for the exam. For just a moment, she had forgotten many of the circumstances surrounding their visit, and it was only her, EJ, and their baby in that room but just as soon as the thought had popped into her mind, she remembered. It wasn't his baby, it was Brady's. Brady should be the one standing there beside her because it was his kid, and right was right. Oh, and because she loves him too, of course, it wasn't just about the baby. He was the one she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with. She was sure they were going to marry soon, and they'd already begun making plans to extend their family through adoption when the time was right. He was going to make her happy like no other man could. Well, except for EJ. But he was dead. Was.

She took a deep breath and shook her head side to side, trying to banish all thoughts of EJ from where they shouldn't be but her efforts were useless. The more she tried to push the visions aside, the stronger they came. Her current vision was, she pictured herself in the delivery room after just giving birth. She could hear the doctors and nurses congratulating her on a healthy baby boy and right there beside her holding their little bundle of joy was none other than EJ, smiling at both her and the baby adoringly as he placed their newborn son into her arms.

"Are you alright, darling," EJ asked as he hovered over her, brushing a thick lock of her long hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

Nicole quickly sobered up and managed to regain focus. "I'm fine," she assured him, giving his hand a tight squeeze for extra assurance. "I'm just anxious to see the baby."

"Me too," he whispered, returning the gesture with equal strength and a smile that could melt tungsten into a puddle in a nanosecond.

"Well, folks, your wait is over. It is officially baby time."

And with the wave of the wand resting lightly on top of her stomach, there he or she was on the screen of the monitor which sat eye-level to Nicole right beside the exam table.

Nicole let out a tiny gasp as her fingertips reached over to the monitor and rested right where her little baby's heart could be seen beating. "Oh my god, Ethan, look! That's his little heart."

"Yes, I see. And it looks good, and steady, and strong."

He was now leaning into her, whispering those words of confident reassurance into her ear.

"Yes, it does," Dr. Siegel confirmed without hesitation. "And I'll bet it sounds even better. Wanna have a listen?"

EJ was quick to pipe out a yes but Nicole was more skeptical. "Wait a minute. I thought you couldn't really hear the heartbeat until about twelve weeks."

"Well, we can usually pick it up a little bit before then, but you're pretty much right on the money. Twelve weeks is when you should be able to hear a nice strong one, and judging by the size of your little one here, twelve weeks is exactly where I'm putting you, my dear."

"Twelve weeks?" She was just beginning to ponder how she could have been pregnant that long and not detected it when suddenly, with just the flick of a switch on the equipment, the sound of the baby's rapid little heartbeat filled the room. It was the sweetest music to her ears.

"Give or take a few days of course. I'm giving you a due date of May the seventeenth."

"That's at the full, forty weeks?"

"Yes, a full forty weeks term."

"So, that's when you think I'll deliver?"

"Well, that's when you should deliver but, to answer your question, no. I think it's likely that you will go into labor earlier than that."

She nodded understandingly and remained stoic as her fears came to fruition. She'd been preparing for this moment and had made a promise to herself to remain strong regardless of what she was told. Stress was not good for her but it was an even worse enemy for the baby and she refused to let herself be a conduit for all that negative energy.

"How much earlier?"

It was EJ who had spoke this time, his voice full of desperation and concern. Nicole noticed he was even sweating a little and for once she was the one with the steady hand so she gripped his trembling one tightly in hers.

"I don't want to cause the two of you alarm. I'll need to wait until we have all the bloodwork and test results back before I can give you a clearer picture, but based on what I see here I do see where we might run into some trouble during the third trimester."

"What trouble?"

"The room that the baby has to grow is compromised due to a build-up of scar tissue seen right here," Dr. Siegel explained, indicating the area in reference by tracing it with the tip of his finger on the monitor. "Could have been caused by some kind of abdominal trauma or even a previous pregnancy if there were any complications during delivery."

"But he has a chance, right?"

"Yes, Sarah, he has a great chance, although I don't remember the part where I said it was a boy." He directed his attention to EJ. "Did I say it was a boy?"

It was EJ's turn to look quizzically at Nicole. "No, darling, is it a boy?"

Nicole shifted her gaze back to Dr. Siegel. "I don't know, is it?"

The comedic exchange between the three of them allowed for all involved to have a much needed chuckle.

"I'm afraid I don't have the evidence to make that call at this point but certainly we should be able to tell the next time I see you but, you seem pretty convinced already so I don't know if my word is going to mean much."

"No, it does, Doc. Your word means a lot. So please, I need to know from your heart that you believe this baby will make it."

He made sure his smile was at it's most sincere and that his voice was full of all the positive energy she needed to hear. Partly because he genuinely liked her, both in personality and her drop-dead-gorgeous looks. Another part was that he genuinely loved his career and took much pride in delivering happy, healthy babies. But then there was the other part which knew that whatever answer he gave better be the right one, for EJ was standing right there, boring holes through his body with his piercing eyes, to make sure.

"I do. I believe this baby is going to be just fine." He gave her his best encouraging smile, then shifted his gaze to EJ. "I bet my life on it."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"I can't do this, EJ."

He stopped dead in his tracks, forcing her to a halt along with him due to her hand being entrapped in his. The two of them had decided to take a short stroll to see the nearby Sydney harbor after stopping for a bite to eat following the appointment. They had been in Australia for well over a month and hadn't yet ventured back to Sydney since their arrival at the airport though it was always high on their to-do list. Although she had seen the opera house from the plane, Nicole had been dying to take the trip as a family to see it from ground level. She especially wanted to show Belle. Her little girl was such an amazing singer and had been very excited to learn where they were moving was home to a world-famous opera house and vowed to her parents that she would be singing there one day. It was the remembrance of this conversation which prompted her comment.

EJ spun her around to face him and cupped her face with both hands gently cradling her jawbones. His right thumb continuously stroked her left cheek lovingly. "Sweetheart, you can do this. You're not alone. We are in this together and I promise you, we're going to do everything in our power to make sure this baby is fine."

"I'm not talking about the baby. I mean this whole ridiculous living arrangement!" Her voice had become increasingly full of anger and frustration from one word to the next as she batted his hands away from her face and stormed a few paces toward the harbor, stopping at the railing which prevented one from falling into the water.

He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her, letting his hands rest on her stomach and his chin on her shoulder with his lips just barely brushing her earlobe. He was fully expecting her to immediately push him away but she didn't. Instead she let her hands rest right on top of his. He didn't know why this particular reaction had surprised him as he'd learned long ago that Nicole's words and actions were often contradictory of one another. He hated the thought of having to reiterate all the reasons why their relocation here was necessary but, to his relief, it was she who spoke first, choosing to address the subject herself.

"Look, I don't want you to worry. I know you're right in that, for now, this is the way things have to be. I've witnessed first-hand how cray your sister is and, I realize you no longer have the power and influence to take her on but, we can't let her dictate how we live our lives."

She was terribly angry. Her fingernails clawed at the loose skin on the tops of his hands, her body pulsated in his embrace from all the negative energy coursing through it. It wasn't good for her and it wasn't good for the baby. He had to say something, do something to put her at ease, and quick. He thought about kissing her. Lord knows that's what he wanted to do but he was afraid at this time it would only make things worse. She would fight it, but not because she didn't want him to kiss her. It was the fact that she did and she knew it.

Nicole had begun to speak again before he could come up with an acceptable response. "Remember when Belle told us that she'd make sure we had front-row seats for every one of her performances there," she said, indicating the opera house with a nod.

EJ immediately sensed where she was going with her commentary and at last began to completely sympathize with her plight. It was the same thing, really the only thing, that bothered him about their situation too.

"How can I look in her eyes and assure her that we're going to make that dream happen for her if we have to be afraid of letting her sing in a school play?"

"You're right. We can't go on like this."

Now it was her turn to be surprised. She whipped around to face him so that she could study his face as she sought to determine exactly what was meant by those words. Her heart began to pound with nervousness as she considered the possibilities, most of which were some version of him revealing that he no longer needed her around and that she was free to move on without him. "What do you mean", she finally managed to squeak out.

"We're living a lie, darling. You're not you, and I'm not me, our children aren't free to express themselves and we have to live in fear every moment of our lives. Believe me, I am as completely paranoid as you must be about not being there to pick them up when they get out of school today. Hell, sending them off to school period is frightening enough."

"Yeah," she agreed, breathing a sigh of relief into her words. "Right? I just want what's best for our family."

"Me too. Maybe there is a way."

"A way for what?"

"A way for us to live freely again where we can choose where it is we want to live, and see the people we want to see. I know it's killing you not being able to tell Brady about the baby and I hate what the stress of keeping that secret is doing to you." He let his hand slide back to her stomach and rubbed it in a soft, circular motion. "It's not good for either one of you."

She briefly entertained the two second fantasy of leaping into his arms and throwing her legs around him to kiss him. It was time to put an end to that ridiculousness by mentioning the old reliable, mood-killing stand-by. "I'm sure you can't wait to get back to Sami and the kids too."

He smiled half-heartedly. "I would give just about anything to see Johnny and Sydney again. But just like you, I would never do anything to put my family in danger, Nicole."

"Not even to see Sami?"

"Especially not to see Samantha."

"Well why not, she's your wife?"

"She's not the woman I'm in love with."

That's it, she was done. She was toast. She stood there completely helpless while he relentlessly began tearing down the invisible walls surrounding her.

"She's not the woman I will spend the rest of my life trying to protect. She's not you."

"How can you say that when you don't even remember me?" She didn't know what part of her brain was responsible for coming up with that one, but she was relieved to know that at least part of her was still trying to hang on.

He stared down into her wondering eyes which were so full of hope that every word he breathed was true. He had prepared for such an inquisition many times but his rehearsals had done him no good. Despite putting so much time and effort into exactly what to say at this moment, he found himself spattering out ugly, frightening words. The truth.

"I do remember you, Nicole."

"What?" She replied, shaking her head in confusion until clarity finally began to settle in.

"You were the first person I remembered. When I was introduced to Belle for the first time, as soon as I looked in her eyes, I saw you."

Tears immediately began falling down her cheeks in relentless streams. It was innacurate to say that she'd never felt such a complex mixture of emotion all at once for she remembered feeling much the same way finding out her children were alive. The difference was that this time, the target of all her negative energy wasn't Stefano and/or Kristen, who were either dead or thousands of miles away respectively, where she couldn't do anything about it. It was EJ, and he was right there in perfect striking distance.

"You son of a bitch!"

She lunged at him with fists flying, his chest being their intended target. He was able to subdue her quickly by grabbing her at the wrists and firmly but gently returning her arms back to her sides after letting her get out a few rounds of her frustration. She didn't have much fight left in her after the already highly emotional and exhausting first half of their day. He certainly hadn't planned to be the cause of even more anxiety and thought that if perhaps he'd had more time to think things over he would have waited to "reveal his memories" until after the baby was born. He just couldn't make the same mistake twice. He'd ruined things the last time by not being forthcoming about the whole mess with Samantha. It was easier to play the game when the issue wasn't being addressed but he couldn't bear to look her in the eye and tell her he didn't remember her one more time when that little piece of information clearly broke her heart.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I lied to you. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't just lie to me, you lied to our kids. You told them you didn't remember their mother! Did you even stop to consider what that was doing to them?"

"Sweetheart, it was only temporary. I was going to admit everything eventually, I promise."

"Were you really? Were you really going to admit to lying, or were you going to just start remembering things," she fumed at him, using air quotes for emphasis around the last three words.

"I guess that would probably be more accurate," he admitted sheepishly, hanging his head in shame. "But I changed my mind."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to know I mean it when I tell you that I love you. Not being honest with you was what tore us apart last time. Nicole, please. I didn't know what else to do. I'm desperate for another chance."

"EJ, stop it," she replied, her voice overcome with emotion to coincide with the tears which were beginning to brew in her eyes once more. "I told you before, I can never go back."

"I don't want to go back either," he confessed, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her right where he wanted her. So close. He was so close. "I don't want to lie to you anymore. I don't want to be the man who has hurt you over and over, ever again. I I don't want us to get back together just so that history can repeat itself. Let's not go back. Let's move forward. The five of us."

[i]The five of us.[/i] His hand pressed firmly into her stomach, adding that extra little bit of clarity that he was indeed referring to the baby and not the puppy they had just brought home for Belle for her birthday. This time she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that he meant it. Of course he'd promised her when she was pregnant with their son that he would love the baby anyway, but she was also well aware that he knew just as well as she did that the baby was his, regardless of how hard she tried to convince him otherwise. But this time was different. This time he knew for certain it wasn't his baby and he was a much different person than the man who had banished her and a little girl from his home because she had made a mistake and the child wasn't his. He had finally learned to love; something that can only be achieved by the right person showing you the way and she was certain now that person was her.

"Don't you mean six?"

"Six? Sweetheart did I miss something in there?"

"Pascal, honey. The puppy?"

She was smiling. She called him 'honey.' Suddenly he felt as if he were in a musical. He wanted to break out into dance and scale the nearest lamppost, singing his love for the amazing woman standing before him. In reality, there was a long, drawn out silence but, it was anything but awkward. Their eyes exchanged a thousand words between them which would only serve to get in the way if spoken. Their smiles managed to say almost all, but not quite enough. Not enough for Nicole's liking anyway. She grabbed a thick chunk of his shirt and used it as a tool to coax his face closer to hers. Searching his eyes with her lips just barely an inch from his, she finally broke the silence with, "I love you, EJ."

It was her who dove right in for the kiss this time and, just like in her earlier daydream, she wrapped her legs around him as he lifted her off the ground, keeping his strong arms looped around her thighs for added support as she took care of keeping his upper body reeled in as close to her as she could without suffocating him. Neither one wanted to be the one to end the embrace, nor did they want it to end anyway. It was ultimately the ring of Nicole's cell phone which forced them to cease and act like responsible adults and not two teenagers running high on their first real glimpse at love.

Nicole quickly retrieved her phone and answered, greeting their neighbor by her nickname, 'Nat.' It was a short call with the purpose being none other than to just check on them and make sure they were alright. Apparently the kids were fine and playing in the pool so Natalie had encouraged the two of them to take all the time they needed ,including some quality couple time. They briefly entertained the idea but in the end made a joint decision to head home. It had been a long day and they both were tired, and neither one could wait to tell the children, and neither one could determine which news they were more excited to share: the news of the baby, or the news that mommy and daddy were back together for good. Then finally after the children were tucked into bed, they would go back to where they left off at the harbor and find out what wonderful things there were still to come.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Does this mean we can go back to using our real names?"

Nicole and EJ both chuckled at their son's hopeful request spawned by the news that his mommy and daddy were officially back together.

"No dummy, it means that we don't ever have to worry about mommy and daddy leaving us because they're never going to leave each other."

EJ glared at his daughter with a look that should have been read as disapproving however, to Nicole it displayed itself as nothing but pure adoration. "Although you are one hundred percent correct, your highness, please don't call your brother a dummy, alright? That's not very nice."

"Yeah," a highly satisfied Desmond responded by sticking his tongue out at Belle accompanied by a taunting giggle.

"Desmond Alexander," it was Nicole's turn to play the bad guy, sending the ultimate 'I mean business' statement by using little more than her son's first and middle name consecutively and a stern gaze in his direction. At least that was what she had intended. If it actually came off twice as intimidating as the look EJ had given their daughter a moment ago she might stand a chance at being a decent parent.

She knew very well that the absolute worst thing you could do for a child is spoil him or her, but not many parents would ever be put in her position either. Most mothers didn't have their children ripped from their womb, literally, and be made to believe that they were dead only to find out years and years later it was all a lie. It was this new development in her life which forced her to rethink over the last month many of her past decisions, starting with, what if she'd told EJ about her first 'miscarriage'? Sure, he could have left her as she imagined he would at the time, her reasoning being that the baby was the only thing keeping them together because he was really hung up on Sami. But what if he didn't leave? It had taken her a long time to allow herself to believe that EJ had seen something special in her. Of course he always tried to convince her he was completely taken by her from the moment he'd laid eyes on her but her wounded, untrusting heart was always quick to challenge his true feelings. Of course she would never know for sure but she couldn't help but consider that she'd made a huge mistake and things might be very different if she'd told him. After all, he said himself it takes a DiMera to outsmart a DiMera. Maybe, just maybe, had he known all the facts, together they would come to discover just what really happened to their little girl.

Same thing with their son. Even if she hadn't changed a thing up until that time, maybe if just for once she listened to her heart without her head getting in the way they could have figured it out and they would all be reunited sooner. She was finally beginning to realize that her brain wasn't truly the brightest organ in her body. If anything, it was responsible for making only the worst decisions she'd ever made in her life which was why, after several weeks of listening to her brain squawk about all the reasons she shouldn't forgive EJ, she did just the opposite.

She could tell she had surprised him but really, she was just as shocked to hear the words which came flying from her mouth. It wasn't that the words didn't make sense or accurately portray her feelings for him. Her astonishment really had nothing to do with her spoken words at all but was instead directly related to one thought that had popped into her head as they were walking hand in hand through the harbor: A couple of months ago, she had thought he was dead.

Actually, it had been well over two years now since he supposedly died, taking her to the grave right along with him. Of course her body had still thrived but the minute she heard the devastating news she knew that she would never be the same. She put on her best brave face because that's what Nicole Walker does when things get tough, but she had never felt more fragile, empty, and alone. She had cried herself to sleep for countless months afterwards, begging God to just let her wake up from this nightmare, vowing that if he would be so kind as to grant her this one wish that she would go back and make everything right. It was simply time to make good on her promises.

Not to imply that she wasn't still irked by some of his behaviors, but the more she questioned his decisions and motives, the more she realized she was none other than pot calling kettle black in that department. What else could she do but let it slide? After all, she found it oddly flattering that for once she was the object of his rather unorthodox romantic manipulations. She had to chuckle, thinking how much they truly deserved one another.

But as much as she had ached for EJ and the two children she believed were lost all this time, clearly the ones who suffered the most were the children themselves who were led to believe they were the product of selfish, ungrateful parents. The horrific lie had not merely robbed them of precious time with two parents who in fact loved them very much, but it had taken away their trust and feelings of self-worth, although most of the warning signs Nicole noticed early on had rapidly began to disappear once they got settled in their new home and their roles naturally began to establish themselves. Still, there was so much she wanted to talk to her children about. She wanted them to know how she and EJ had met, how happy she was when she found out she was pregnant, how much they had both looked forward to bringing them into the world. She didn't want those important talks to be overshadowed by news of a new baby on the way which was why she and EJ had collectively made the decision on the ride home to wait to break the baby news to them until a later date. Surely mommy and daddy reuniting, as exciting as it appeared to be to them, also had to add some degree of confusion and it was certainly more than enough for them to digest in one day.

"Does this mean you're going to get married for reals now?" Belle was bouncing up and down excitedly on EJ's lap, clearly looking to her father for the answer as she looked up at him with hopeful anticipation.

Nicole shot EJ a bemused grin, thankful that she was not the one elected to explain.

"Well, I guess that all depends on your mother saying yes, now doesn't it?" He shot Nicole an arrogant wink, daring her to top that one.

"And I suppose me saying yes depends on whether or not your father gets up the nerve to ask me, so we'll have to wait and see."

"Ask her, daddy!" Belle lunged at her father now, throwing her arms about his neck as she aimed to stare him in the eye while she implored him to officially make them a family.

EJ was completely smitten with his little girl and he especially couldn't get over how much she was becoming more like her mother every day. She'd adapted Nicole's facial expressions and mannerisms to a T, but most especially her vivaciousness in general. Her smile could light up a whole town but it was the twinkle in her eyes, their eyes, which just brought everything to life around them, including him.

The thought of anyone dampering that fire in his two beloved girls made him crazy. The person or persons responsible would be shown no mercy, be it friend or foe, or even himself. He remembered how defeated Nicole had looked when he'd broken her heart yet again and he'd made damn sure he was just as hard on himself as he surely deserved, short of killing himself. That was one pardon that he would allow himself but spare no other person, simply because that would prevent him from making things right. It terrified him that one day his daughter would venture into adulthood seeking love. That's why it was so important to show her from the start that she should never settle for anything less than perfection and what would be a better way to show her how than making her an active participant in his plan to woo and propose to her mother?

"I can't ask her right now, sweetheart. It's got to be romantic. It's got to be exactly like the moment she's been dreaming about ever since she was a little girl your age."

Nicole was blushing. She knew he was trying to set a positive example for their daughter to live by which was why she chose to not foil his plans by confessing that he'd already made her dreams come true. That, and the fact that she would never grow tired of him doting on her. To this day, he never failed to open a door for her, or to pull out her chair before sitting down to dine. Whenever they went out he always drove, took care of making the reservations, purchasing event tickets or making travel arrangements, even if the idea wasn't his initially. It wasn't even that chivalry was important to her. In all honesty, until she met EJ she had thought it to be quite silly, but that was when she believed that it was the kind of thing women expected men to do while they were dating until a relationship was established then, once he had you where he wanted you, it all came to a screeching halt. With EJ it had been much the opposite. The further the relationship had progressed, the more cherished he had made her feel. This time was certainly no different.

Belle was grinning from ear to ear when she proceeded to whisper into his ear. "I know, daddy. I know what you have to do."

"Really," he whispered back, cupping a hand over his mouth for added privacy. "I have some ideas too. Will you share yours with me?"

She nodded excitedly then hopped from the couch, grabbing EJ by the hand and attempting to pull him behind her as she headed for the stairs. Of course he voluntarily followed behind, offering Nicole a brief, fabricated version of his imminent disappearance. "Darling, Belle has to show me something in her room. A special school project she's working on. Be back in a jiffy."

"You know, your daddy is too much," Nicole said as she ruffled her little boy's hair then tapped the tip of his nose with her fingertip before lifting him off the couch with her as she arose. "Come on tiger, it's off to bed with you!"

She set him down at the foot of the stairs, letting him run the rest of the way to his bedroom for fear that she might put too much strain on her body by carrying him. He climbed into bed without argument and shut his eyes, forcing Nicole to beckon for EJ prematurely before he fell asleep without getting his kiss goodnight from his father. It took only half a story before he was out like a light, but she always would remain to finish the story regardless in hopes that his dreams would be filled with the same happy endings as the tales she told.

By the time she made it to Belle's room, EJ had vanished out of sight.

"Where did your daddy go to?"

"Daddy already said goodnight. He had to go take care of a couple of things."

"Things? What things?"

Belle reached under her pillow and retrieved a piece of pink construction paper that had been folded into an envelope and presented it to her mother bearing a grin a mile wide.

"What's this?"

"This came for you in the mail today. You have to open it after I'm asleep."

"Oh, this came in the mail, I see," Nicole replied, entertaining her daughter's obvious fib regarding the origin of the homemade envelope with crayon drawn postage in the top right corner with enthusiasm. "Well, this does look very important. It says, 'Royal Mail' and it's addressed to me!"

"Goodnight mommy. I love you," Belle said dreamily as she closed her eyes and attempted to force herself to sleep. Not that she had any intention of staying there.

"Goodnight, my princess," Nicole said, kissing her daughter softly on her forehead. So what'll it be tonight? Little Mermaid? Sleeping Beauty?"

Belle's eyes flew back open and her face lit up as she allowed herself to offer her mother one last parting word before commencing her fake sleep. "Cinderella."

She laid there perfectly still pretending to sleep as Nicole read through the story in it's entirety and although she always enjoyed her mother's animated narrations immensely, tonight was one night she wish she'd just hurry up and finish already. When the story finally came to an end, there was still quite a long pause, likely due to her mother debating whether or not she was actually asleep, before she finally heard Nicole's fingers tearing into the envelope.

Inside, Nicole found the following invitation which was, for the most part, written in Belle's handwriting, in purple crayon:

_To the ladies of the house-_  
_The King invites you to a ROYAL BALL with dancing and ice cream at The Palace._

_Please wear your very finest ball gown._

Nicole began to giggle with all the anxious anticipation of a teenage girl on prom night as she read the part of the invitation that was taken word from word from the very storybook she had just read. There were some additional details in EJ's...or the Prince's...handwriting on hers however that she wasn't sure made it to the rest of the ladies in the kingdom.

_When: Tonight Time: 10PM Where: The Palace-follow the signs What: Your Dreams= Come true_

_P.S. Whatever you do, please humor me by not looking outside or coming downstairs until 10PM sharp. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter._

(signed, in fancy script)  
_Your Prince_


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Nicole hurriedly tip-toed into her room, wrapped in nothing but the towel she'd used to dry off with upon exiting the shower. The clock on the bathroom wall had read 9:26 which meant that she had just barely over half an hour to finish preparing for the 'ball.'

The dress was going to be a problem. Although she had bought several of them on their first shopping excursion since arriving in Australia, there were hardly any in her wardrobe which would qualify as an evening gown let alone a ball gown but she took comfort in guessing that the 'Prince' would be faced with similar costume challenges. The man who had once practically slept in a suit and tie was now wearing bermuda shorts and sleeveless T-shirts as his regular attire. Not that she was complaining. At all. To put it loosely, the sandy shores and crystal blue waters had not been the only view she'd been admiring on their daily trips to the beach.

She threw open the accordion doors to her closet and began sifting through her clothing with locating one particular dress in mind. She frowned when she was unable to find it and wondered if perhaps she had in fact not purchased it after all. She resorted to plan B, grabbing a goto little black dress and tossed it to her bed to put on after she finished slathering up on the perfumed body lotion she always used in place of your standard perfume oils. EJ had always found the subtlety of that particular scent to be most irresistible and had always seen to it himself that she had an unlimited supply during the times they were together. He had likened his reaction to the scent like that of catnip to a cat and had often took much pleasure in giving her a full demonstration of it's impact on him. The recollection of these times found her experiencing feelings of excitement in places she hadn't heard from in a long time. Not even with Brady.

When she finally believed her skin to be sufficiently saturated with her tried and true aphrodisiac, she turned her attention back to the bed to retrieve the dress. She gasped when she saw that lying next to it was the little blue dress she'd initially searched for...with some minor alterations made to it. The once plain, royal blue sleeveless dress covered with asymmetrical layers of sheer silky fabric of the same color was now adorned with star-shaped stickers from Belle's sticker collection and a large, light blue stick-on bow from her own stash of gift-wrapping supplies. She laughed out loud as she proceeded to put on the dress, taking care not to disturb any of her daughter's thoughtful handiwork.

She stepped into a pair of strappy silver three inch heels before running to the mirror to give a quick inspection. It was now 9:44, giving her barely just enough time to do her hair and makeup. Since it was a rather private affair, she hoped, she applied her makeup this time just as Nicole would rather than Sarah and finally topped off the look by curling her long locks into loose waves which she pulled into a loose ponytail over her left shoulder.

Another glance at the clock. It was 9:59. She briefly considered whether or not to grab a light sweater as she anxiously awaited the digital display on her bedside alarm clock to advance to the next hour however when the time finally rolled over more quickly than anticipated, she immediately forgot all about the sweater and dashed for the door and headed downstairs.

At the foot of the stairs, a sign was posted on the wall indicating that her first move toward the 'palace' would be through the kitchen. Once inside the kitchen, another sign magnetically attached to the refrigerator had arrows pointing to the white, wood-framed french doors which led to the backyard. Finally, taped onto one of the two doors was the final sign informing her that the way to the palace was just through the threshhold. Already, through the clear glass panes of the door, she was getting hints of what lay in store. She eagerly threw open the doors and stepped onto the tiny deck outside and gasped at the view before her eyes.

The entire back yard was illuminated by the candlelight of dozens of votives arranged to distinguish a path beginning at the top step of the deck and ending at a large party tent EJ had purchased shortly after they moved in in they event they might make some friends and do some entertaining at their own home. The tent itself was aglow with more flickering light and the sound of soft music filtered out from it's pinned back entranceway into the most invitingly warm pre-summer night.

Her eyes darted through the dancing shadows as she tried to catch a glimpse of her prince. When there was no immediate sign or clue to his whereabouts, she began to make her way down the path toward the tent. She took a deep breath before peering inside in preparation for whatever delights lay within. There was a small table, stolen from it's original spot on their front porch, adorned with a white lace tablecloth, two lit candlesticks, place settings for two, and a vase full of fresh-cut flowers. The source of the music revealed itself in the form of EJ's iphone connected to a set of speakers, hidden in the darkest corner. But there was still no sign of her prince. She turned on her heels to further investigate the rest of the palace grounds when suddenly she found herself face to face with the man of her dreams.

"Now, you are by far the most beautiful woman I've seen tonight."

Nicole loved the fact that she still had to look slightly upward into his eyes, even with her near six foot frame sporting three inch heels. He looked quite dapper, even in the cheap black suit which wasn't even a quarter of the price he'd paid for one of the custom-tailored ones he'd worn before.

"Oh, she said, feigning a blush by fanning herself. "Thank you. Are you the prince?"

"No, I'm not," he responded regretfully, throwing Nicole for a loop. "That's the guy over there," he said, nodding in the direction of whatever storybook image she could manage to conjure up. "I'm just his manservant. I've been ordered to help keep the rest of the ladies entertained for this evening while they await their turn."

"Oh, I see, she replied slowly as her brain began to ponder just where EJ was going with this. Their many role-playing adventures had always been exciting as they were always completely improvised with both parties involved constantly aiming to outdo the other until one or both reached thier breaking point and allowed their passion to take hold. "So, I suppose there's like a super long wait to dance with the prince."

"Yes, I'm afraid it could be hours actually. I hope my company will do for the time being."

"Yeah, about that," she replied, cringing. "See, I have this like deadline and I gotta be outta here by midnight and I have yet to even get a bowl of ice cream. Time is ticking."

EJ struggled to supress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He absolutely loved the fact that she made him work for it and didn't fall victim to playing your steroypical Cinderella.

"Well, since you already have my stamp of approval, I will tell you what I will do. Since the prince and I are very close I'll go have a talk with him and see if I can't get you moved up on the list."

"Oh goody! And bring back some ice cream! Please."

Nicole chuckled to herself as she watched him trot off to the area of the imaginary prince where he engaged the invisible fellow in a brief conversation before disappearing back into the house. As minutes ticked by she began to wonder just what the heck he was doing in there until he finally reemerged carrying two small glass bowls.

"Well my dear, I have some excellent news," he proudly announced as he set down a bowl of some very fancy looking ice cream in front of her. "The prince is very interested and has enlisted me to keep you entertained until he is ready which he promised would be well in time for you to have your dance with him before you must leave."

"Oh, hey thanks! That was mighty gentlemanly of you."

"It's my pleasure. It's not often I'm asked to perform such delightful tasks."

"Awww, you're sweet. And so is this ice cream, gosh have you tried it? It's divine."

"Well thank you. It means a lot to hear that someone likes one of my culinary creations."

"Yo made this? I thought you were a manservant, not a chef."

"Professionally speaking, yes I am just a servant, but a person can possess many talents."

"Well, it is delicious. Toasted coconut, white chocolate curls, fresh whipped cream, and is that a hint of lime I taste in the ice cream?"

"It is. Very good."

"So ok, Mr. Do-it-all, I'll bet you don't know how to tango."

"Really? And why would you make that assumption?"

"Because you can't be good at everything."

"I suppose that's true. There are numerous things that I excell at, my dear, and the tango is one of them."

He gave her a quick wink before venturing to the corner of the tent where his iphone was with obvious intent to cue the perfect music. Nicole's heart began to flutter as the familiar twang of Spanish guitars filled the air and he took his place behind her, holding her in a seductive embrace before spinning her into dance mode then recapturing her for a classic close embrace version of the dance. As always, they were perfectly in sync as if they'd been practicing for this moment for weeks. But even more impressive than the steps themselves was how effectively he could seduce her without the use of words at all. By the time he performed the iconic final dip, she was putty in his arms.

"Well, I must admit you were quite impressive," she said dusting herself off as she attempted to catch her breath.

"As were you, my love. The fascination is mutual."

She blushed, genuinely. "You know, you are dancing circles around that guy. I'm surprised that those bimbos aren't lining up over here."

"Oh, that's quite all right. It gives me the opportunity to have at least one more dance with you." With that, he pulled her into his arms as they began to slow dance to Eric Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight,' the next song to play on his favorite slow dance songs playlist.

"Yeah, ok. After all, the prince doesn't seem to be ready and even if he was, it'd serve him right if I made him wait, don't you think?"

"I completely agree actually. If you ask me he's a damn fool to not drop everything in an instant to share a dance with you."

"Why do you say that? Isn't that princess whatsherface he's dancing with? There's nothing special about me."

"Oh, I beg to differ, sweetheart. The moment you set foot in this place, the entire atmosphere of the room was transformed. Don't you feel the envious eyes of all the other women cutting you down from afar?"

"Boy, you're really full of yourself aren't you."

"Oh this has nothing to do with me. They are keeping a very watchful eye on you because you are by far the most beautiful woman in this room and they don't want you getting anywhere near their prince."

"You know, it is weird, isn't it? How money and power and social stature influences everything. Even love. Kind of sad, isn't it?"

"Oh, it's tragic, darling. You could have two people, completely made for each other, oblivious to that very fact because their lives are dictated by other's beliefs about how they should be lived."

"So, do you ever think he'll find happiness?"

"Who, that guy," EJ snorted, indicating invisible sources once more. "Not a chance."

"You know what's really funny? I get that impression just by looking at him. He seems kinda shallow. I think he's more interested in groping than dancing."

"Ah, he's actually a decent guy. I think he's just letting all the attention, and liquor, get to his head. Probably a once in a lifetime moment for the good chap."

"You know, it's really uncanny."

"What is, my dear?"

"How much you and the prince look alike."

"Ah, you noticed that, did you?"

"Well yeah. I mean, it's kinda hard to ignore."

"You know, I brought the same thing up to the queen once and she laughed right in my face. Told me that good looks were only for royalty."

"What a bitch!"

"You realize that is the queen you're talking about."

"Sorry. Queen bitch."

"Anyway, that's when I realized that I would never be able to find someone suitable unless I did it on my own terms. I wanted to find someone special. Someone who would give me the time of day regardless of what clothes I wore or what house I live in. Someone so beautiful that she doesn't realize just how beautiful she is."

"Oh my god. It's you, isn't it? You're the prince. Not that it matters, for the record, cuz I was beginning to wish he'd be a no show anyway."

"Then your wish is granted. Who needs some silly prince when we have each other, the moonlight, soft music to dance by...at least until your curfew runs out."

"I don't have a curfew," she said with heaving breath as she threw her arms around his neck and began to kiss him passionately She paused briefly between pecks to further explain one last statement, one word at a time. "I just made that up in case this whole thing was really lame."

He gently coaxed her away, just long enough to get some further clarity from her previous words. "So you're saying I have you for the rest of tonight, curfew-free?"

"You have me for the rest of forever."

"Damn, that was a really good line sweetheart. It'll be hard topping that one."

"I know,' Nicole replied, smiling triumphantly.

"If only forever could last just a day more."

"Honey, you make me sick, you know that," Nicole said with a smile which heavily contradicted her words so they couldn't be mistaken for serious. "You win, OK...you win. Now stop trying to be the next Don Juan and take me upstairs and ravage me."

She jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he began to carry her inside and up the stairs, both of them completely oblivious to the two small children who'd stayed up late to watch the entire show. Though few words could be heard, they'd seen enough to know that their mommy and daddy were not only enjoying themselves but were completely, and utterly in love with one another. Although she was only eight years old, Belle was worldly enough to have a good idea of what was to come next, though it was still a very innocent interpretation, ending simply with her mommy and daddy disappearing into their bedroom for some 'alone time.' It was with this in mind that she was able to coax her brother back into his bed and followed suit by doing the same.

Halfway up the stairs, EJ remembered the candles. As much as he desired to fulfill her request as soon as possible he'd prefer to do it without having to call the fire department. He set her down gently mid stairs and instructed her to stay there while he darted through the back yard desperately blowing out candles as fast as he possibly could without passing out from shortness of breath. She was in hysterics by the time he made it back to her after she'd managed to catch a glimpse of his scrambling out the window, but she understood his eagnerness very well. It had been a long time since someone had made love to her the way he did. It was nearly five years since they had last made love.

"Pick a room," he whispered at the top of the stairs. " And choose wisely. Whichever one you pick is going to be ours from now on."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The Next Day

Salem

Brady paced nervously around the seedy portion of the park. It was a place he was all too familiar with on account of some of his own shady dealings in that particular spot which was precisely why he chose it. Regardless of it's bad reputation, he had always managed to do his business there without being discovered by anyone, including the police. On this particular occasion, he was hoping they would show. After all, he'd invited them.

"Hey man, back from your business trip, huh? How did everything go?"

Brady whipped around to find the source of the voice in the form of his good buddy Rafe Hernandez, emerging into the clearing from between two tall bushes.

"Rafe, hey man good to see you," Brady said with obvious relief as he approached his friend and initiated the exchange of a bro hug.

"Likewise. When did you get back from London?"

"Today. Just a couple of hours ago."

"Huh. Why back so soon? Victor said you were going to be tied up there for quite some time."

"Yeah, well, things didn't work out exactly as I'd planned."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What can I do you for?"

"Huh?"

Rafe could easily see that Brady was in far worse shape now than when he'd left for London over a month ago. He appeared to be at least ten pounds thinner and had grown a rather full, unkempt beard and although he had at least showered as determined by the faint scent of a familiar deodorant soap, his disheveled appearance would lead one to believe otherwise. Also, with his rather confused, aloof response to his offer of assistance, Rafe was forced to consider that he might be using again.

"Brady, you wanted to meet me here."

"Right, sorry," Brady replied with genuine regret. "I need your help, man."

"Hey, you got it," Rafe promised, patting him on the back reassuringly. "You know I'd do anything to help you out."

"Then tell me what you know about Nicole."

Rafe already knew very well what kind of an emotional roller coaster Brady surely had been riding at the hands of Kristen DiMera over the past month. Unfortunately, all the ISA really had to go on at this point was that circumstances surrounding Nicole's death were to be considered highly suspicious due to Kristen's reaction to the news. Nobody really knew why for sure but there were several theories which were begining to take form as each day, granted government clearances allowed them access to more and more information including details of Stefano's will and the two mysterious children named to inherit everything.

Further invistigation into the children revealed that they were pulled from school by their aunt, a woman by the name of Carlina D'Alessio, their legal guardian, while the family took an extended vacation in London. Carlina D'Alessio was also the same woman named in Stefano's will to receive monthly payments for the care of the two children until they reached maturity. After some more digging around at the school, it was soon discovered that Carlina D'Alessio was none other than another alias of Kristen's.

So far, the timeline of relevant events they had been able to piece together looked something like this:

Italy, c. October 2014: The frequent reappearances of the two children at the mansion begins to raise questions about their identity. This was the launch of the initial monitoring of their activities though there were sightings of children that had been witnessed several times before. It wasn't clear if it was always the same two children throughout the years but considering the age of the oldest child, the little girl, the time of the initial sightings seemed to support a two children only theory.

Salem, October 2014: EJ DiMera is shot dead and his remains are cremated.

Italy, October 2014: The onset of a six month period of increased activity at the DiMera household begins. Numerous unidentified men and women are observed coming and going all hours of the day and night.

Italy, November, 2014: Kristen DiMera leaves Salem and joins her father in Italy. Immediately upon arrival, frequency of the children's visits to the mansion increases drastically, as does Kristen's visits to their school.

Italy, July 2015: The man resembling EJ DiMera is first seen roaming the mansion.

Italy, August 2015: The children are observed interacting with the EJ lookalike. The beginnings of regular monthly interactions between the three are established.

Italy, September 2015: EJ lookalike is observed leaving the mansion for the first time and is witnessed running through a nearby park and visiting the local library which becomes a regular routine.

From this point on, it took over a year for any more significant activity to take place however, when it finally did, it was more than they could keep up with.

Italy, September, 2016: EJ lookalike disappears. Initially it was believed that it was EJ lookalike's disappearance which had Kristen flipping out. It wasn't until just recently they discovered that it was the very same day the children were supposedly pulled from school. In light of this new info, one of the the current running theories, the one he himself was leaning toward most, was that EJ lookalike may have abducted them.

London, October 2016: Nicole is killed in a suspicious car-bombing. Foul play was evident but they have yet to pinpoint the responsible party. Kristen has a meltdown in reaction to the news and is observed acting abusively toward her hired hands.

Of course one needed to establish motive to support their theories and the one which has EJ lookalike, who he was pretty sure was the real thing, kidnapping the two children was a pretty solid hypothesis. Those children were to inherit the family fortune and EJ could surely be scheming to get what he believed was rightfully his. It was the easiest theory to digest anyway though it still didn't explain how Nicole fit in to it all. Of course it was possible it was just a coincidence, but the more he learned each day the more he began to ponder new theories.

It was the photographs of the children which had been keeping him up a night for the past two weeks. Before he'd only heard the stories, but Bo and Shane had flown in to brief him on their new developments and provided him with some very priveleged information so that he could continue to keep a well-informed eye on things in Salem. Apparently he wasn't the only one to jump to the quick observation that the little girl looked just like Nicole, but he was quickly advised that fact couldn't be confirmed. He'd been around the block enough to know that was code for simply not having the evidence needed to prove their suspicions true. There certainly was no longer any doubt in his mind. Every detail of the little girl's face was identical to hers, He'd even gone so far as to reach out to her sister Taylor and ask for a picture of Nicole as a child. In just a few minutes after his request, Taylor had sent several to him via text message, which only further confirmed his suspicions. The little boy couldn't offer quite the same visual evidence he needed but it was safe to assume that he was at least a product of EJ, even if the little dimple in his chin wasn't quite enough to link him to Nicole.

Their ages further supported his theories. Although the birthdays given for both children were off by months from the dates Nicole had believed she'd lost them, he realized that Stefano would surely have doctored this information to cover up his misdeeds. They were still an eight year old and a four year old and that was close enough when you had to consider the DiMera curve.

In his mind, the only part of the riddle left to solve was what actually happened to Nicole in London that day. One thing he knew for sure was that there was no way in hell previous to that day that she had any idea her children were alive. Revisiting the theory that EJ kidnapped them, he was able to draw up three possible scenarios. The first was that he kidnapped Nicole too and was using the children to keep her close. He had witnessed first hand how desperate he'd been to win her back in the past and would not put it past him to use the children to keep her right where he wanted her. He also seriously entertained that EJ might be the responsible party for taking them away in the first place though as much as he wouldn't put it past the guy, the evidence could not support that theory as there was no known interaction between him and the children prior to his resurrection. Additionally, if EJ had been involved from the start, shouldn't it be him calling all the shots? From the way the ISA saw it, Kristen and Stefano had really been the ones running the show all along. He suspected that whatever knowledge Junior had of those kids was only very recent.

The second theory was much the same as the first, only in this one Nicole was a voluntary participant in her own disappearance. Maybe EJ contacted her and explained what happened and she went willingly. If this was the case, maybe she didn't want to be found. Nicole would give up everything for her kids and, in all honesty, if he knew that was what happened and she was happy and safe, he'd try to end the search party himself. However, being that EJ was involved, he doubted that to be the case. Even if they were being civil for the sake of the children, he was sure that eventually EJ would find a way to make her life a living hell.

The third theory was the worst but it was something he definitely had to consider. Maybe Nicole really was dead and EJ, desperate to keep two children that had been stolen from him to himself, planned her murder so that she would never discover the truth and come for them. If that was the case then Kristen should be elated over Nicole's death rather than upset, but Kristen had been completely blindsided. She had no idea what happened and that was made further evident by Brady's current state of frustration. Rafe knew he was finally ready to share but he was first forced to remind Brady of the drill.

"Come on. You know how this works. Let's rewind to the day of Nicole's funeral when Kristen came to visit you. What did she say?"

Brady broke down and told Rafe the entire story, not only what happened on that day but also during the entire month plus since. When Rafe failed to yield any facial expression which might indicate surprise, shock, or disbelief, Brady got his first real indication that perhaps Kristen wasn't full of it after all.

"Dude, come on, you gotta give me a ray of hope here. Is there a possibility she might still be alive?"

Rafe sighed deeply and rolled his eyes upwards, seeking assistance from the gods on how to answer his good friend's pleas without giving him too much false hope...and without sharing any of the information that Kristen had negleted to tell him.

"Let's just say we have some theories which raise serious questions about what really happened to her that day. Problem is they are only theories. We don't have a shred of actual hard evidence which would support her being alive."

"oh my god," Brady replied, choking on his words from the overwhelming tightness in his neck brought on by this bout of renewed hope. "Is it just like Kristen said? Is that bastard still alive?"

"There have been several sightings of a man bearing resemblance to EJ at the DiMera household in Italy. The ISA has not been able to prove it is him however. But now that you have decided to share, we have word directly from the horse's mouth. You see now how we can help each other here?"

"Yeah. Yeah man, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking trusting her. She just made it sound so convincing. Do you think he's a real threat to her."

"I don't know. One thing for sure is Kristen's version of events is quite different than what we've managed to piece together, but we won't rule out what she told you."

"You must've come across something linking Nicole to all this. What is it? What did you find? Did he have pictures of her like plastered all over the wall or something?"

"You know I can't tell you that. All I will say is that we do have one piece of very striking evidence and I will confirm that we're pretty sure that Elvis did play a part in whatever it is that happened. We're gonna need you man to help us figure out the rest."

"You're gonna send me back to London, aren't you?"

"Somebody's gotta keep an eye on her. She may not know where EJ is but she sure knows a helluva lot more than the rest of us. And don't believe her when she says she's got nothing. I'm sure she knows more than she's letting on. Watch her carefully. Be her shadow. I'm sure she won't mind your company. The closer you get to Kristen, the better you can help us find Nicole before she does."

"What, are you suggesting I sleep with her?"

"I think it would certainly allow for her to let her guard down a little more."

"This is getting really sick."

"Sicker than the idea of EJ DiMera holding Nicole captive?"

"Point taken. So I guess it's cheerio and off to London for me, old chap. We're gonna find her right?"

"If she is still alive, we'll find her."

"For EJ DiMera's sake, she'd damn better well not have so much as a hair outta place or I'll make sure this time when somebody takes aim at him it'll be right between those beady little eyes."

Which of course was the ending Kristen had been attempting to orchestrate all along and she would have been quite delighted to hear that particular bit come from Brady's own mouth if she'd been privvy to his little meeting with Rafe.

Sure things were moving along more slowly than she'd anticipated but she had some encouraging leads to follow. In this latest round of airport security footage Brady had managed to secure, she was certain she'd found her first glimpse of Nicole boarding a flight bound for Spain out of one of the smaller airports in England. It wasn't the overwhelming piece of evidence she'd hoped for and would have preferred if it were footage of EJ and at least one of the children, but it was a start and there was plenty more video for her to review.

Then there was the phone call. At first she had dismissed the whole thing after having the woman's cell phone from whom the call came stolen only to discover the phone number was different from the one of the original call. After hacking into the cell carrier's computer system again she thought she must have transposed some numbers when she ran the initial inquiry for when she searched the number again it came up registered to someone completely different. Or it was EJ scrambling to cover his tracks. She decided it was time to revisit the hairdresser and had the perfect men lined up for the job. They would perform the rough stuff, but it would ultimately be herself who got her to talk. She was quite confident it would lead somewhere.

Sure, she was well aware she was being watched but she was positive that she would be able to track them down before the ISA was able to piece it together. First she would get the children, then use them to lure Nicole right where she wanted her. Once she had Nicole under control, she could stage the scene so that the rest would just play out on it's own, and she herself would have the pleasure of explaining to Nicole exactly how she intended to do it. She would let her men beat her unconscious, then she'd inject her with a powerful mind-erasing drug potent enough to erase all memories of being reunited with her children and then some. In fact, it was so powerful she'd be lucky to remember anything at all. Oh, and she would have to use it on the kids too. Then, she would put the call out to EJ, alerting him of Nicole's whereabouts. When EJ arrived, he would find Nicole in her pitiful state but it was critical that she and Brady arrive only moments afterwards so that it wasn't immediately apparent that he was there to rescue her. Brady would see a battered Nicole laying on the ground defenselessly and EJ likely armed with a gun and that's when she'd start putting the pressure on for Brady to shoot him. It was the perfect plan that would make everyone happy. Brady would be reunited with Nicole, EJ would be out of everyone's way, and she would have the children back where they belonged before anyone even caught on to their existence. Then, she could finally sit back, relax, and carefully consider her options for securing the family fortune for the next ten years. She had no idea of the one little bonus which lay in store.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Umina

26 Days Later- Christmas Eve

"I can't believe they're actually asleep" Nicole whispered to EJ as she leaned over to give her children, both fast asleep in Belle's bed, one last kiss on their foreheads before shutting off the lamp on her daughter's bedside table.

"I can't believe Belle let her brother anywhere near her bedroom," EJ remarked chuckling as he escorted Nicole into the hall. "I think she's trying to get her name moved up Santa's nice list."

Nicole giggled. "Well, when she sees the amount of presents Santa has brought her this year, we ought to have the most well-behaved child on the planet come next Christmas."

"All I can say is thank God we started wrapping early. I couldn't imagine trying to accomplish all that in one night."

"Yeah, it's bad enough we have to haul it all out of the attic now," Nicole said, rolling her eyes toward the trap door n the ceiling above them. "Are you sure you don't want to hire some movers?"

"Let's get something straight here," EJ said as he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, allowing his hands to lie flat across her only recently noticeable baby bump. "You are not going to be doing any hauling of any sort, my dear. I am banishing you to the sofa where you are to spend the evening sipping hot cocoa and eating gingerbread cookies. Got it?"

"Well I suppose I should go slip into something more comfortable then. Meet you downstairs?"

"Ooh, I like the sound of that," he whispered into her ear seductively, brushing his stubly cheek against hers for added effect. "Sounds like I'll be having myself a merry little Christmas after all." He pecked her on the cheek before disappearing down the stairs with an impish grin on his face, leaving her shaking her head in mock disapproval after him.

When she finally made it downstairs, she hurried into the living room unnoticed so that she would have time to conceal an early gift to him until the timing was perfect to present it. She carefully slid the large, flat, square-shaped package in the three inch gap between the bottom of the sofa and the wooden floor before taking a seat as instructed.

EJ had already begun to set the mood by allowing the Christmas tree and electric candleabras in the windows serve as the only source of lighting in the house while soft, traditional Christmas tunes played from his iphone docked to it's household speaker system. The whole place smelled wonderfully of the scents of the season, from the aroma of the authentic pine tree to the heavenly scent of homemade cookies baked earlier that day still lingering. It was almost like Christmas in Salem...as long as you didn't step outside. Christmas fell smack dab in the hottest part of the summer in Australia and although Nicole was generally a warm-weather fan, it didn't feel quite right singing about Frosty the Snowman while sweating bullets so they'd been keeping the house quite chilly to counter the climate shift.

"Good girl," EJ said as he placed a steamy cup of hot cocoa before her on the coffee table along with a plate labeled "Cookies For Santa," bearing just that with her in mind to play the role of his helper for the evening. "I was afraid you'd try bringing stuff down anyway and I'd be forced to add you to the naughty list."

"Would that be Santa's naughty list, or yours?"

"You're always on my naughty list, darling, especially now. What are you hiding under that little pink bath robe, hmm," he inquired with keen interest as his hand attempted to undo the loose knot keeping the garment from revealing what, if anything, lay beneath.

"Oh come on now, honey. It's too early to start opening your gifts. I'm making you wait until midnight."

"Midnight? That's still two bloody hours away!"

"Yes, and you've still got lots of work to do so time should fly fairly quickly."

"Fine but you realize come twelve o'clock I cannot be held responsible for my actions."

"That's fine. It'll be Christmas and your gifts will be yours to play with to your heart's content."

"Right, well, I suppose I should get busy then."

"Tick, tock."

Nicole watched with a bemused grin as he made dozens of trips up and down the stairs at lightning speed until all the gifts were finally collected from the attic and arranged as compactly as possible around the tree though they still managed to creep into the center of the room even with the extra care taken to secure a sufficient walking path. He then collapsed to his knees beside her and his hands immediately went for the belt once again.

"Uh-uh,' she scolded him with a waving finger. "I'm sorry to inform you that you still have an hour and twenty minutes so you're going to have to figure out something else to pass the time."

"Sweetheart, please, it's almost Christmas."

"Weeeell, you have been exceptionally good this year so I suppose just this once, but first, I do have something else I want to give you."

"Really? What?"

She reached underneath the sofa and retrieved the package she'd stashed there only minutes ago and handed it to him excitedly. "I wanted you to open it tonight. When you see, you'll know why."

He studied her carefully as his fingers tore away the wrapping with feverish curiosity. He could tell by the way she was observing him that this gift was something she'd put her heart into. Once it was free of all it's trimmings and he got his first glimpse at what lay inside, his reaction informed her that her idea had been a success. Even though his eyes had immediately begun to fill with tears, the smile that also accompanied them assured her that they were of the happy variety. The gift she had presented him with was a photo album full of pictures of Johnny and Sydney throughout the many stages of their lives.

"Where on earth did you get these?"

"Don't worry, I didn't have to jump through hoops or anything. They're from my own photobucket stash which, for the record, isn't even registered under my name. I guess I always feared Sami might find me out and give me grief over having pictures of them so I registered under an alias."

"Some of these are very recent. Sydney looks to be about Belle's current age and Johnny...gosh he's getting to be so tall."

"Yeah, I saw them just a couple of weeks before I left for London. It was a secret little routine of ours that Chad of all people got started."

"Chad?"

"Yeah. Whenever Sami would pop back into town she'd bring them to visit with Chad while she went to do whatever it is that she does, and then Chad would call me so I could go see them. They still know me as their mommy Nicole."

"Do they ever ask about me?"

"Of course they do. They know that we spent a good part of their lives together and they're at that age now where they want to know everything about you and what happened to us."

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them that we loved each other enough to not want to hurt each other anymore so we decided to just be friends. And of course I tell them all the time how crazy you are about them. I don't think that they get to hear that enough."

He grabbed her and squeezed her tightly, wishing he didn't ever have to let her free of his embrace. "They were very lucky to still have you in their lives and I am grateful to Chad for making it happen. You always were a better mother to them than their own."

"How could I say that I love you and mean it if I don't love your children just as much? They're a part of you."

"I couldn't agree more," he said smiling as he leaned over to plant a kiss on her stomach. " I hope you know I am already completely and totally in love with this little one."

She smiled dreamily. "I know you are. He's a lucky little man to have you in his life."

"You are totally convinced it's a boy already aren't you?"

"Yup."

"Does that make the fact that you can't tell Brady about him harder?"

"No," she replied after a few moments of careful consideration. "I've come to accept that we may never go back and, in all honesty, I don't want to anymore. I mean, if fate should bring us back then by all means that was how it's meant to be but if not then I'm perfectly happy right where I am. And if Brady can't know about the baby, then I don't want the baby, or Belle and Dez, to know about him. I want you to be his only daddy, EJ."

"You know I will do whatever is best for all of us."

"I know," she said as she pulled him onto the couch with her for what was only intended to be a brief snuggling session but the warmth of each other's loving embrace found them falling asleep right there in each other's arms. Out of the dozens of surprises both children would find later that morning, this was by far their favorite.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

December 28th, 2016

Umina

"I never imagined this would be so hard," Nicole fretted from within EJ's arms which were wrapped around her from behind as they lay cuddled up in bed, talking about their next move. "I'm actually terrified to tell the kids we're having another baby."

"I know you're uneasy sweetheart but, we've got to tell them sometime and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, you're not going to be able to hide it any longer. As Dr. Siegel himself said this morning, this little boy is packing on the pounds."

"Yeah, and so is his mother," Nicole said frowning though she really didn't care as much as she put on. In fact, she had always been rather proud of her baby weight but she also didn't mind the extra compliments pouting about it would get her courtesy of EJ, even when he already went out of his way to make her feel beautiful.

He didn't disappoint this time either. "Darling, you have never looked more beautiful, and I mean that one hundred percent sincerely. You are more than glowing. You, my dear, are positively radiant."

"Then why do I feel so blah?"

"Because you are worried how Belle and Dez are going to take the news of having to share their mommy and daddy with a new baby."

"Yeah, because every little hint we've been dropping doesn't seem to pique their interest and, to make matters worse, Emma isn't exactly thrilled about Natalie's pregnancy and I'm afraid it'll rub off on Belle."

"I'm sure the reason Emma is not thrilled about the baby is because Natalie lost the last one. She may seem like she's jealous but I'm willing to bet she's more scared than anything."

"That's another thing. I don't want to scare them by telling them there's a chance I could lose the baby, but-"

"You're not going to lose this baby."

"Dr. Siegel said at the rate the baby's growing he'll probably come even earlier than he originally predicted. He could be as early as twenty eight weeks."

"Right, but I didn't hear the part where he said you would lose him, sweetheart. Remind me now, how far along were you when Belle was born?"

She was silent as she recalled the moment which she had formerly regarded as the worst day of her life up until a few months ago however, it was no longer to be known as the day she lost her daughter. It was the day she gave birth to her beautiful, now very healthy, baby girl at just twenty four weeks. "Twenty four," she repeated out loud, in response to his question.

"You would never know it now, would you," he whispered into her ear soothingly as his hand gently caressed her protruding baby bump in a soft, circular pattern. "She has more energy than you, me and Dez put together, she eats like a horse and she's the tallest little girl in her class. Now, I happen to know a thing or two about being a little brother to a big sister so I think I can speak for our little man by saying that he's not going to want to be outdone by his sis."

She was grinning from ear to ear. He always knew what to say to her to make her feel better, even if she knew he was full of all kinds of false bravado himself. She had seen the look on his face in the doctor's office this morning. He was every bit as concerned about the baby as she but he always put on his bravest face for her. "I love you," she spoke aloud, unable to contain the overwhelming affection she felt because of this particular action. "Thank you for that."

"Well it is true, darling, and he has you as his mother to boot. He's a fighter by nature."

They were suddenly interrupted by the appearance of two very inquisitive children inviting themselves into their room.

"Why are you guys up here like sleeping," Belle asked with her hands on her hips.

"Are you sick, mommy?" It was Dez who spoke this time, his little eyes just clearing the top of the mattress as he peered at her with concern.

"No, sweetie, no, I'm not sick," she said, immediately pulling herself upright and to the edge of the bed where she proceeded to pull her little boy onto her lap.

"Emma's mommy said you were at the doctor's."

"Emma's mommy told you that," EJ asked his daughter for clarification as he pulled her onto his lap.

"I heard her telling Emma's daddy on the phone."

"Sweetie, your daddy did take me to see a doctor today but I promise you, I'm not sick and neither is he."

"Emma said it's because you're having a baby too."

Nicole froze. She didn't know what to say or do, especially when she was finding it impossible to read her daughter at the moment. Ultimately, it was EJ who managed to answer for her.

"It's true, sweetheart. You are going to be a big sister all over again."

Belle was silent and refusing to look at either one of her parents which was making Nicole increasingly uncomfortable. She reached over to touch her little girl on the arm but found her daughter inching away from her with her nose turned up in disgust. Her cold reaction to her affections instantly wounded her but she reminded herself who was hurting more right now. Just as she'd initially feared, her daughter wasn't exactly thrilled about sharing her parents with a new baby.

"Sweetheart, we can see that you're upset and that's ok. Your mommy and I want to know how you're feeling."

"Your daddy is right," Nicole added, careful to be none other than understanding of her daughter's situation. "Your feelings about the baby are very important to us. If you're happy, sad, or if you have questions, we want to talk about it with the both of you."

"I hope it's a boy cuz I want a brother," Dez remarked enthusiastically despite his sister's displeasure with the news. Under different cirsumstances EJ and Nicole might have jumped at the chance to confirm that his wishes were coming true but with the exchange of one knowing glance, they decided to wait to share that tidbit for now.

"I hope it dies because I don't need another brother, or a sister."

Nicole felt unable to breathe as her daughter's chilling words blanketed the air. She knew she didn't mean it but it cut her to the bone just the same. It was one look into her eyes which sent EJ into a wild rage.

"ANNABELLE LEE! I DON'T EVER, EVER WANT TO HEAR YOU TALK TO YOUR MOTHER LIKE THAT AGAIN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

Their little girl immediately burst into tears in reaction to her father's stern, raised voice and she went running from their room and into hers where they could hear the bedroom door slam shut behind her.

"Dez, honey," Nicole said as she ran a hand through his head full of thick curls just like his brother Johnny's. "Why don't you go downstairs and put on Toy Story for a few minutes until we're ready to go to the beach. I need to talk to your daddy."

EJ knew he was in for it. The second the bedroom door shut behind their littel boy who went trotting off downstairs as instructed, Nicole tore into him.

"What the hell is the matter with you," She vented as quietly as she possibly could, opting to smack the back of his head instead of raising her voice to further her point. "You can't talk to her that way when she's upset."

"I'm sorry darling, but that is where you're wrong. She doesn't get to talk to YOU that way just because she's upset. She can be entitled to her feelings without being a brat about it."

"Didn't we both just get done telling her however she feels is OK?"

"THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING UPSET OVER A NEW BABY VERSUS WISHING IT WERE DEAD."

"She doesn't want anything to happen to the baby, she-"

"WHICH IS PRECISELY WHY IT IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR HER TO SAY SUCH HURTFUL, IRRESPONSIBLE THINGS! THERE ARE OTHER WAYS YOU CAN EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS!"

"REALLY? LIKE SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS UNTIL EVERY WALL IN THE HOUSE IS SHAKING, UPSETTING EVERYBODY?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized, throwing his hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean to yell. But I'm not changing my mind about this either. I'm going to go talk to her."

"EJ, no. You can't go in there and tell her everything she's feeling is wrong."

"I'm not going to do that, I promise."

"EJ, that little girl has been through so much in her life-"

"So have you, and I know you're too proud to tell her, but I'm not."

"She doesn't need to hear all that junk. She-"

"Yes, she does, and she's going to hear it from me."

He left the room and took a few short steps down the hall to Belle's bedroom and softly knocked on the door and announced himself before letting himself inside. He was initially surprised to find the door unlocked but then realized it was because everything Nicole had been saying was right. She didn't hate the baby and want it dead. She was simply very upset and needed love more than anything right now but, so did Nicole and she needed it most from her daughter. Of course Nicole would always put her little girl's feelings first but he had the luxury of looking at things more objectively with both of them being affected. Belle was out of line but she was also grossly uninformed when it came to the sacrifices and heartbreak Nicole had suffered bringing both her and her brother into the world and it was high time that she heard straight from him what an amazing woman she had for a mother.

Belle had the covers pulled up over her head and was sobbing. He sat on the edge of the bed and picked her up, covers and all and set her on his lap and waited for her to come out of hiding. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, sweetheart. Please forgive me."

She let the blanket slip of her face, revealing her puffy red cheeks still wet with tears. "Did I make mommy cry?"

"No, sweetheart. Your mommy loves you so much and she knows you're just very upset. She's more worried about you, you know."

"I don't really want the baby to die!" The tears started streaming down her cheeks once more but EJ quickly saw to wiping each one away with the tips of his thumbs followed up by a kiss.

"I know you don't but, the truth is that your mommy may have some trouble having this baby and that is why daddy got so upset with you for saying that."

"What do you mean, daddy?"

Her eyes were wide with worry and he immediately envisioned Nicole kicking him in the shins had she been in the room.

"Your mommy was told a very long time ago that she would never be able to have a baby. I bet you didn't know that."

"Then how did me and Dez get here?"

"Well, because your mother has done nothing but fight for you both since the moment she got the news you were coming. She didn't care that everyone told her it was impossible, that there would never be enough room in her tummy for a baby to grow. She was in love with you from day one . You were her little miracle. That's what she told everybody, over and over again."

"And then she had me but nonno took me away."

"Yes. She thought you died. She thought that she didn't do a good enough job keeping you healthy while you were in her tummy and she was devastated. Sweetheart, you have to know you will always be the most important person in the world to your mother."

"More important than you, and Dez, and the new baby?"

"Well, definitely more important than me and although I'm sure she loves you and Dez and your new brother equally, you are always going to have that very special distinction of being her first child. Her little miracle."

"I wanna go see mommy now."

Nicole was sitting nervously on the sofa in the family room with Desmond cuddled up next to her watching The Lion King, a surprise alternative selection to his usual Toy Story. She tried to pay attention to the film so that she could engage him in conversation later but she was worrying too much about whatever conversation was going on upstairs. Not that she didn't trust EJ to ultimately do the right thing but simply because worrying was what mothers do best and she happened to excel at it.

She sensed movement in the doorframe and was surprised to see EJ standing there carrying a smiling Belle in his arms so soon. She scrambled out of his arms upon seeing her mother and made a beeline to be at her side.

"I'm sorry mommy."

Nicole wouldn't even spare a moment to allow her daughter to get teary-eyed. She scooped her up onto the sofa with her and hugged her tightly, covering the top of her head with kisses.

"It's OK, princess. I know you didn't mean it."

"Can I see your belly?" She was all smiles now as she attempted to pull up Nicole's shirt for her first peek.

Nicole could hardly contain her own tears of joy as she shot EJ a grateful look, and happily complied with her daughter's request by lifting up her shirt.

Belle leaned over and kissed first her mother's stomach, then she flung her arms around Nicole's neck and kissed her on both cheeks. "Don't worry, mommy, she said staring Nicole in her eyes as she spoke reassuringly. "This baby is going to be another miracle."

She could no longer stop the tears from flowing but she didn't mind showing her emotion when they were of the happy variety. She knew her children would never fail to bring her joy for the rest of her life but she never in her wildest dreams ever imagined that any man ever could but there he was right before her, making all of her dreams come true.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Umina

Nicole sat at the small bistro table for two on the front porch of their home, sipping her green tea and surfing the net on her tablet while she waited for EJ to join her. They had decided today would be the day they would start decorating the nursery, formerly her bedroom, so they had already spent a good deal of the previous night discussing design themes and determining how much of the work they wanted or were willing to do themselves. Since she already had a pretty clear vision of what she wanted, they ultimately decided to do it all considering that most of what needed to be done was only cosmetic, and the only real physical work involved would be repainting the room which EJ elected to take on. Today's agenda involved a trip to the home improvement store to select some color samples and stops at several different furniture stores to find a crib and a complete coordinating ensemble of necessary furnishings. Once those major design choices were decided, they would have the next few months to apply the finishing touches, though again it would be mostly Nicole's project. It wasn't that EJ was indifferent to the entire operation, but because design was something that Nicole had a flair for, so much so that they had seriously discussed going into the business of flipping homes after the baby was born.

The door swung open behind her ad she heard EJ'quick footsteps scurry onto the porch. "Honey, what do you think of this crib," se asked, raising her tablet above her head and flashing it in his direction.

EJ took the tablet from her hands and gave it a quick glance before setting it down on the table. "Sweetheart, that looks lovely but I hate to tell you, there's been a change of plans for today."

"Why, what's going on," she said whipping around in her chair to face him only to find that he was already down on one knee at her side. He took her hand into his and with his other, he brushed her long hair from off her shoulders as he stared deeply into her eyes.

"I need you to go upstairs and pack a suitcase with enough clothing for the weekend, and you need to do it quickly." Upon seeing the color completely drain from her face, EJ went into a panic and immediately began to further explain. "No, no, no darling, I realize that sounded bad but nothing is wrong, I promise."

Nicole had to gasp for air before speaking. "God, don't do that to me. I thought for sure you were gonna say Kristen was onto us."

"No. But I still need you to hurry, darling, please."

She was much more relieved now, seeing the mischevious twinkle in his eyes which always meant he was up to something. Sometimes that something he was up to was no good, but usually it was him seeking to surprise her with something and she hadn't been disappointed by him yet.

"Ok, sheesh, what is the hurry," she complained half-heartedly as she followed him into the house and up the stairs.

"We have to be on a plane in a couple of hours."

"A plane? EJ, what the-?"

They were just outside their bedroom door when he turned around to face her. "We're not going far, darling. It's a very short flight, and I promise there is not going to be a whole lot of us shuffling around. I wouldn't put you through something that was going to be stressful to you or the baby. We'll be settled into the hotel at our destination by dinnertime."

"What the heck are you up to now?"

"That is for me and the children to know, and you to find out...hopefully."

"The kids know what you're up to?"

"No, no, no, don't you dare try to bribe our children for information. They have been given strict instructions to keep their lips zipped or else."

"Fine. I will go pack my bags like a good little girl."

"Excellent," he replied enthusiastically just before planting a kiss on her forehead. "While you do that I'll go check up on the kids to make sure they're all ready to go and start getting the car loaded up." He grabbed his own suitcase, which apperently was already packed, from just inside their bedroom door. "Be back in a jiffy."

He trotted down to his daughter's room and softly rapped on her door with his knuckles. "It's daddy, sweetheart."

She opened the door with a grin a mile wide. "Are you gonna check me?"

"I am, I am," he said with a wink as he stettled down next to her open suitcase on her bed. "Let's see, two pairs of pants, four matching tops, a pretty dress and fancy shoes that your mother will be very proud of, pajamas, underwear, socks, a jacket, your toothbrush, and one Pascal beanie. Looks like you got all the essentials, sweetheart. Good job!"

"Your turn now, daddy," she said excitedly as she grabbed the handwritten list of items to pack that he'd made for her as a guideline and began to read from it, omitting only the dress from the list for his benefit. However, when she got to the end, she added one item that had not been on the list intended for her, but which was the most important thing on his. "Do you have the ring?"

He smiled brightly and reached inside his jacket pocket, withdrawing the small, black velvet ring box that Belle immediately recognized as the same one from the jewelry store her, her father, and brother had visited just the other night on their top-secret mission which they had cleverly disguised as a trip to the ice cream parlor. He pulled the box apart and flashed the contents to Belle so that she would see that it was indeed the same ring that got her final stamp of approval after an hour of carefully explaining to Desmond exactly what to look for when his time came.

"Oh, it's exquisite, daddy," she remarked, borrowing the same term he had used to describe the ring to her upon his initial examination. "It's going to look so pretty on mommy."

"Yes, sweetheart. Just pray that everything goes as planned because this night has to be perfect in every way. You remember how excited Belle was when the beast showed her the library? I need to get exactly the same reaction from your mother."

"You're silly daddy," Belle said smacking him playfully. "Mommy is going to say yes to you no matter what."

"Well, yes, your mother and I have already been down this road many times before but, that doesn't mean I get to be lazy about proposing to her. Remember what we talked about? When that day finally comes for you, I want you to remember this. The guy who is going to win your heart should never, ever take your love for him for granted. He needs to show you every day how special you are to him, but especially when asking for your hand in marriage. He needs to prove to you that he deserves you, not the other way around. If he doesn't live to make you smile then he's not worth a minute more of your time. I hope you won't ever settle for anything short of magnificent."

"You need to be in a fairy tale, daddy. You're like the best prince ever!"

"Oh, I'm hardly a prince, sweetheart. Just one, very lucky man who didn't have a clue about love until he met the one woman who would change his life forever."

"How did it change?"

"I just stopped thinking about what would make me happy and suddenly all I cared about was making her happy."

"And you think the lights are going to make her happy?"

"Yes, I do," he replied breaking into a smile once more. "You see, it's not necessarily about the lights themselves, it'll also be because I remembered a conversation we had way back when we first met and, actually, this is not the first time I tried to make this happen but they're so unpredictable and there's never a guarantee. If you think there is even the smallest chance, you've just got to go for it, even if your chances of being disappointed are greater."

"You tried to take her to see the lights before?"

"Yes, the northern lights. These will be the southern ones we go to see, if they appear."

"What if they don't? Are you still going to ask her to marry you?"

"Of course! But probably not during this trip then. We'll have to think up something else magnificent. Remember, perfection darling."

"You are perfect, daddy. I hope whoever I meet is just like you."

He picked her up and spun her in circles as she clung to him tightly, giggling all the way. She now found herself sharing the same dream her mother had since she was a small child of seeing these mystical lights and she prayed that unlike her mother, she would not have to wait most of her lifetime to see them. They needed to show up tonight because she could hardly wait for the events to follow if her father's plan was a success. Ever since she had been reunited with her parents, she'd had the same dream every night and every day it was growing closer and closer to becoming a reality. She was dressed in a pretty white dress with flowers woven into her braided hair, walking down the aisle of a church tossing white rose petals in her path as she approached her father smiling at her from the altar. When she got to the end of the walkway, she would turn around and see her mother smiling at them all in her gorgeous wedding gown, and all eyes in the church would be on her as she anxiously made her way toward them, officially marking the beginning of her happily-ever-after.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Same Day

Island of Tasmania, Australia

"You know honey, before today I actually thought Tasmania was something created by Warner Brothers," Nicole said as she reached over and patted EJ's leg from the passenger seat of the rental car they had just left the airport in Hobart, a city in the southern portion of the island, in. "Who'd have thunk it was a real place."

"Oh come on now, I don't believe that for a second."

"Alright, alright but you know, it's just one of those weird places that you never think you'll ever actually visit. I can't believe you stripped me of my phone so I can't even try to figure out why you brought us here."

"Why do you always think I am up to something? Is it that unheard of that I just wanted to surprise my family by doing something different and spontaneous?"

"Well, no, but that still doesn't explain the drop-everything-you're-doing urgency that we left with."

EJ couldn't help but be amused by her relentless pondering and he bore the mischevious grin to prove it. "Darling, do us all a favor and just stop trying to figure it out because none of us are going to talk. Just sit back and enjoy the ride."

"Speaking of, how much longer are we going to be in the car?"

"Mmmm, about another two hours I suppose."

"Uh-huh. And where are we going exatly? Can you at least tell me that much?"

"The town is called Southport. It's about as far south as we can drive and still get decent accomodations."

"Ok, you know what, just forget I asked because the more I know the more questions I have."

But her questions didn't cease for the next two hours and only stopped when they finally pulled up to their first destination which appeared to be a small rental office with the name 'Southern Forest' stenciled above the door. EJ instructed them all to remain in the car but just a couple of minutes after he disappeared inside, curiosity got the better of Nicole and she collected the kids and joined EJ inside. Luckily, one of the first things EJ had asked of the agent was that no matter how much Nicole grilled them they were not to mention that it was a favorite vacation spot for those seeking to see the southern lights. She began her investigation as soon as she stepped foot inside.

"So, what brings people to good ol' Southport, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Well, it's a very popular spot for fishing, as your husband mentioned you enjoy very much."

"Oh, he did, did he," she replied with exaggerated enthusiasm, brought on by the absurdity of the idea of her holding a fishing pole. "Well, he's the only true fisherman in this family cuz I'll tell ya. I may be able to catch them, but he's the one who knows how to clean 'em, don't you honey?"

"Oh, you know me so well, sweetheart. I can't do my own laundry but I can gut a bucket full of fish in two minutes flat."

"Well, you should certainly enjoy your stay here then," the middle-aged , portly woman with short salt and pepper hair informed them while sliding a set of keys across the desk. "Your chalet is right on the bay so you'll want to continue down this road about as far as you can go."

"Chalet," Nicole remarked to EJ with a raised eyebrow after climbing back into the car.

He simply smiled and laid his hand to rest on her knee for the short ride to their destination spot for the next two evenings. When they finally pulled up in front of their quaint looking accomodations, she gasped.

"Oh, this is beautiful!"

She eagerly hopped out of the car, beating even the children who were just as excited as she was to the front door, but ultimately let them wander in ahead of her after EJ unlocked and thrust open the door. Belle and Desmond immediately began to explore while she opted to pause in the center of the living room and take in the view offered through the large, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bay.

EJ approached her from behind and applied his usual embrace, wrapping one arm completely around her waist and pulling her tightly to him as his other hand rested gently right on the highest peak of her baby bump. Tiny shivers ran down her spine as his slightly stubbly cheek brushed up against hers until his lips found their way to hers and kissed her tenderly.

"Mommy, daddy there's a balcony up here! Come see!"

Nicole spun around to face him. "A balcony, eh? Aren't you fancy."

"Mmmm yes, a balcony that is off our own, private bedroom I might add."

"Oooh, I like the sound of that," she purred as she grabbed a fistful of his shirt to reel him back in for another kiss. "Let's go see, shall we?"

They climbed upstairs and into the room they would be sharing where Nicole promptly collapsed onto her back on the massive, king-sized bed with towering, near ceiling-height bedposts adorning the corners of it's solid, wood frame.

"Oh. Honey. We need to get one of these, pronto. Better yet, I think we should just move in here."

"It is beautiful, isn't it," he remarked as he climbed onto the bed, laying on his side beside her, his hand immediately seeking out her stomach once more. "I have to admit I didn't quite know what to expect here but it really is very lovely."

"You did good, DiMera," she replied dreamily with eyes half closed.

"Looks like somebody could use a nap."

"What? No, don't be silly," she replied, forcing her eyes wide open. "You didn't drag me out here for me to go to sleep on you."

"I also didn't drag you out here with the intention of wearing you out so, I want you to rest, darling. The only thing left for us to do for the rest of the weekend is enjoy ourselves at our own pace. After you've rested we'll go out to dinner and then we can do whatever you feel like. We can go for a walk on the beach, or come back here and enjoy the scenery from our 'private balcony.' It's your call."

"That does sound good," she admitted sleepily, not putting in any effort to open her eyes this time. "I am pretty tired."

He could tell by the time she finished her statement she had already drifted off so he very gently pulled the covers out from beneath her so that he could apply them for their intended use instead. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead before tiptoeing out of the room to go in search of the children, who were now downstairs tearing into the bag of snacks he'd prepared for them for their car trip.

"Where's mommy?" Belle asked, popping a grape into her mouth upon completion of her sentence.

"She's resting, so let's all keep it down for a little while, please."

"Did you check on the lights again yet?"

"I was just about to," EJ explained, drawing his cell phone from his jeans pocket. After several minutes of random finger-tapping on the phone's small display screen, he finally let out a very enthusiastic, "YES!"

"What?" Belle asked every bit as excitedly as she ran to his side and strained to see exatly what he had been looking at on his phone.

He pulled her onto his lap where he sat on one of the barstools at the breakfast bar and began to explain. "The reason we took a chance coming out here today is because they were able to predict that sun would soon start having these little explosions which sends the particles that make the lights possible toward earth, but they can't tell exactly when it's going to happen until it actually starts happening and, according to this website, it's happening right now which means we should see something tonight when it starts getting dark."

Belle groaned. "Tonight is forever away!"

"Well, I have an idea to pass the time. Why don't we all take a nap for an hour. Then, it'll be here before we know it."

He rounded them up to their bedroom upstairs where all three of them ended up falling asleep on the childrens' bed, with EJ being the second to doze off after Desmond leaving Belle to figure out something to lull her to sleep on her own.

Two hours later, everyone was up and dressed and hopping into the car to go to a highly-recomended restaurant serving primarily seafood for dinner where each of the children got their first introduction to deconstructing a whole, cooked lobster for consumption. Desmond laughed hysterically each time his father demonstrated how to crack through the tough, red outer shell while Belle did her best to portray herself as a perfect little lady, even if she couldn't resist letting out a chuckle or two when lobster juice came squirting out of the shell and into someone's face.

They ate a five-course meal, rounding out the fare with ice cream for the kids, and italian pastries and espresso for the adults, which was enough to intrigue Belle into wanting a taste. EJ was not at all shocked when she asked for her own cup of the bitter, coffee beverage which Nicole frequently enjoyed since Belle had gotten in the habit of mimicking just about everything her mother did; a phenomenon which EJ found absolutely precious.

Nicole was feeling much more energized after dinner and opted to take that walk on the beach that EJ had mentioned, even though she found it to be much chillier there than back home where they were still experiencing pleasantly hot, summer nights. EJ was aware of her slight discomfort and draped his own jacket around her shoulders for added warmth.

"Are you sure you're not going to be too cold," She asked, pulling his jacket closed at her chest.

"No, I'm fine sweetheart. You know the motto. Real men don't wear coats."

"Ah, well perhaps someone should tell these real men that they're not to whine like babies when they get sick then."

He chuckled and proceeded to spin her around to face him. Although it was almost completely dark, her crystal blue eyes always appeared to give off their own illumination. He loved the way that they twinkled when she was being witty and couldn't resist an opportunity to steal a glance.

"What," she asked with a few leftover giggles from her own previous comment in reaction to his gaze upon her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You mean the look of complete and total adoration? I hope that's how I look because it's certainly how I feel."

She smiled dreamily and threw her arms around his neck. "Me too, you know. I mean, God, we've been back together for a while now and I feel like I don't say it enough. I love you, EJ."

"I love you too. Nicole, I have loved you since the moment you barged right into my life."

"Oh yeah, right! You were totally ticked that I ruined your dinner date with Sami."

"No I wasn't," he shook his head, matter-of-factly. "Nicole, if I was ticked you would have known it and, believe me, if anyone else had tried to pull the shenanigans you did that night, I would have personally tossed them out of the restaurant on their ass. But not you. I was completely taken with you the moment you pulled your cute, little, pain-in-the-ass butt up to my table."

"Shut up, you were not!"

"Yes, Nicole, I was."

The seriousness of his tone acually made her stop to consider that he was speaking the truth; something that she had definitely not considered before even when he had begged her to believe otherwise. The look in his eyes further supported this statement he insisted were true and for the first time, she found herself interested in hearing him further plead his case. "Go on."

"Look, I realize how I must have seemed to you back then, but it was only because I was so confused. You know, before I met you, I thought I had figured out exactly what I wanted in life. I had Johnny and I was so obsessed with Samantha that I couldn't imagine anyone ever taking her place in my heart. That's why when you came along and all of a sudden all I could think about was how I was going to keep you close, I was completely thrown for a loop. I didn't understand my own feelings because I had never felt anything like it. Unfortunately, I still didn't fully understand what had just happened to me until we seperated. It took me realizing how completely wrecked I was to figure out that you were the one I was in love with."

"You do mean it, don't you," she said, intensely searching his eyes for perhaps just one final confirmation before she would allow herself to accept his propsed theory as true. And then the sky lit up."OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD, EJ, LOOK!"

He could see the brightly colored streaks of green and red electric light illuminating the sky out of the corners of his eyes but as beautiful as it surely was when given one's full attention, he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"My god, it's so beautiful. I wish my mother was here to see this. My aunt in Canada would always see them but whenever my mom and I went to visit they'd pull a no-show. We would sit out there for hours, sometimes in the freezing cold, just staring up at the sky, waiting."

"And your aunt would always make hot cocoa for you , just the way you like it now, and your mother would start singing 'Rocky Mountain High' and tell you the story of how John Denver wrote it after seeing a meteor shower."

"I can't believe you remember all that," she said, with genuine surprise at his revelation. "OH. MY. GOD. This is why we're here, isn't it?"

The sound of the kids cheering the lights on in the background was all the verbal confirmation she needed if the guilty look in EJ's eyes hadn't been enough.

"And all those mysterious ski trips to Canada when neither one of us even skis...this is what that was all about too, isn't it?"

"Guilty as charged. You see, when you have the chance to behold something so beautiful, so magnificent, you have to pull out all the stops and do everything in your power to capture it."

But, as majestic as it surely was, he was not talking about the aurora. His eyes had been fixated on nothing but her throughout the entire exchange and he did not dare to break that gaze as he dropped to one knee and withdrew the tiny black velvet box from his pants pocket and flipped it open to reveal a respectably large, square cut diamond framed in smaller diamonds around it's perimeter and set in white gold.

"Nicole, I promise you I will spend the rest of my life making you happy if you'll give me just one more chance. Will you please be my wife, for real and for good?"

He needed to finish his speech only as a formality, as she had been nodding yes pretty much ever since he pulled out the ring. "Yes, yes of course," she cried happily, allowing him to slide the ring on her finger before jumping into his arms.

How long they remained on the beach after that became somewhat of a blur, but it was long enough for the lights to begin to gradually fade and the children to drift off to sleep as they lay cuddled up on their parents' laps in the sand. A couple of days later when Nicole would finally share the events with Natalie, with a few facts altered for the sake of maintaining their false identities, she was so excited gushing about how romantic Ethan had been when he proposed to her all over again and suggested they have a vow renewal ceremony, that she nearly forgot to mention they had also seen the southern lights.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Sunday. March 5, 2017

Umina

"Are you sure you're going to be alright if I go," EJ, dressed in his morning run attire, spoke softly into Nicole's ear after approaching her from behind where she stood loading the morning's breakfast dishes into the dishwasher. As usual, he couldn't resist laying his hands on her now, very prominent baby bump and almost immediately after his hands made contact, he felt the baby kicking furiously.

"Whoa, it must be football practice time," EJ commented, leaning in to peck Nicole on the cheek over her shoulder, while his hands continuously relocated on her stomach following the movements of the baby.

"I know you had to have felt that one," Nicole said collapsing backward into him. "This little guy has been mighty active all morning."

"I think I'm just going to stick around instead."

For the last week, EJ had been completely paranoid to leave Nicole's side for just one second after being told at her last doctor visit that waiting just one more week for her to have the baby was pushing it. Her womb was running out of sufficient space for the baby to grow and after observing her weekly for the last month, Doctor Siegel had made the call that her office visit scheduled for tomorrow would likely be her last. In fact, he had wanted to send her in for a c-section that week but knowing that the baby's lungs were nowhere near fully developed at just twenty-five weeks, they collectively decided to wait one more week to allow for Nicole to begin taking a steroid which would help develop the baby's lungs more quickly.

Nicole had turned around to face him "No, honey, I'm fine. Really. Go for your run and just take your phone with you like you've been doing. I'll call you if I need you."

EJ hesitated to answer while he continued to debate over it. "Alright, but instead of worrying about these silly dishes, why don't you go and join the kids in the family room and I will do them when I get back."

"Seriously, there's like three glasses left on the table. I think I can manage. I'll head to sofa city as soon as I'm through."

"Pinky swear," EJ inquired with a raised eyebrow as he waved his aforementioned digit in front of her face.

"Yes, I pinky swear," Nicole answered with mock agitation as she entwined her finger in his for a brief shake. "Now will you just go," she announced playfully as she broke their embrace and spun him in the direction of the door and pushed.

EJ was chuckling all the way to the door. "Alright, I'm going. I'm going. I'll run across the street and feed Rufus while I'm at it too."

Rufus was Natalie and Jeff's cat which was left in their care for the weekend while Natalie, Jeff, Emma, Alex, and their new baby girl Lily visited with Natalie's parents up near Sydney. Although the request was relatively low maintenance and only involved EJ making two trips to their house, Natalie had been very apologetic for even asking. She and Nicole, or Sarah as she knew her, had become incredibly good friends and she was just as concerned for her and the baby as EJ was. If it hadn't been for her father being extremely ill, Natalie insisted she would have put off her plans so she could be there if she were needed for anything but her father hadn't been given much longer to live and since he was not able to make the trip to Umina to meet his new granddaughter, they had no choice but to bring her to him, the sooner the better.

She stood in the doorframe and shook her head at him as she watched him take off down the street and disappear around the corner. He had been 'up her butt,' for lack of a more appropriate term, for the entire past week. If she didn't know it was only because he was every bit as terrified as she was, she surely would have killed him by now. She was amazed she actually had managed to get him to go for his daily, morning run since she could hardly manage to go to the bathroom without him tapping on the door if he thought she was taking too long but she'd simply reminded him that once the baby was here, that opportunity might become scarce. Undoubtedly, the baby would be spending at least several weeks in the NICU and without any reliable childcare lined up since Natalie was tied up with important family obligations of her own, one of them would have to be at the hospital with the baby while the other tended to Belle and Dez's needs.

She finally made her way back into the kitchen and returned to clearing the table. She grabbed the glass that had been hers, still nearly half-full with orange juice, and debated whether or not to finish it. Since the thought of actually taking a sip strangely made her feel nauseous, she stepped toward the sink to dump the contents down the drain and was suddenly struck by a sharp pain in her back which was so intense that the glass just slid from her hands and crashed to floor, shattering around her feet. The noise had lured Belle in from the family room to investigate.

Nicole was nearly bent in half as she staggered to the nearest dining chair, carefully avoiding broken glass all the way. She took a seat and panted heavily as a result from the pain itself and the instant fear that something was terribly wrong with the baby it brought along with it. Belle was standing frozen like a statue just a couple of feet away, instantly alarmed by her mother's state.

Nicole caught a glimpse of her daughter's feet as she rocked hunched over in her chair. "Oh, princess be careful. There's broken glass here everywhere."

"What's wrong mommy," her daughter asked, wide and teary-eyed, obvioulsy frightened.

And just as soon as her daughter had inquired about her state, the pain stopped. She was able to finally sit upright, though she did so carefully in fear that any movement whatsoever might cause the pain to return. When it was clearly apparent that wasn't the case, she began to feel somewhat at ease and offered Belle a smile to aid in laying her little girl's fears to rest.

"I'm OK, sweetheart. I think mommy just ate something that didn't agree with her."

"Are you sure, mommy?" Belle still looked every bit as concerned as she did before and had beun to approach her.

"No," Nicole hollered sternly, holding her hand out as a stop sign as she sprung to her feet. "Honey, you don't have any shoes on. Go and put on your sneakers while mommy cleans this up, ok?"

Belle nodded and skipped off to do as she was told while Nicole went and collected the broom and dustpan to clean up the mess before either one of her kids could come runing through and end up with glass in their foot. At least the pain had stopped but she still planned to call EJ as soon as the kitchen floor was clear. However, just as she was dumping the final dustpan-full of debris into the trash, the pain returned and this time, with even more intensity. She instantly dropped to her knees, screaming as she doubled over in pain, grabbing her stomach. It was no longer isolated to her back. Her entire mid-section was radiating and she felt incredible pressure in her groin area. Having been through this twice before, she knew at that moment that not only was she in labor, she was ready to have this baby, and soon.

Belle had come running back to the sound of her mother's screams, this time joined by Alex who opted to only go so far as the kitchen doorframe for fear of what he might see if he should go further. She flew to Nicole's side who, despite her best efforts to remain calm, cool, and collected in the presence of her daughter, was now crying hysterically. SHe didn't need her mother's instructions to know what to do. She had already grabbed the house phone and was dialing 9-1-1 when Nicole had told her to do the same. Belle very calmly repeated what her mother had instructed her to tell them even though she could hardly believe what she was hearing. Her mother was going to be having a baby any minute and was not going to make it to the hospital.

While still on the line with the dispatcher, Belle used Nicole's cell phone to call her father.

"Everything alright," he answered after just one ring, considerably out of breath.

"Daddy! You have to come home quick! Mommy's having the baby!"

"Sweetheart, what?" He had to ask for confirmation of what he just heard though he didn't need to actually hear it before running full speed ahead in the shortest route home.

"Mommy is on the floor and she says the baby is coming now."

He could hear Nicole screaming in the background. Thankfully he had decided on his own to cut his routine short today and with this change of direction he estimated that he would be home in probably about five minutes if he was actually running as fast as he imagined himself to be.

"Sweetheart, you have to get off the phone with me and call 9-1-1 right away.!"

"I did, daddy. They're on the other line."

"Good girl. Make sure you're talking to them and let them know what's going on. I'll be there any minute."

"Where's your daddy, honey, is he close," Nicole asked desperately, panting heavily between each word.

"He said he'll be home in like five minutes."

Nicole didn't feel like she had five minutes left in her. The urge to push now was incredible and she was going to have to start, with or without EJ, or anyone, there to help her.

"Ask the operator when she thinks they'll be here. I have to start pushing."

"She said five minutes too mommy. She told me to go get some clean sheets."

"OK, sweetheart, that's perfect, thank you."

She seized the opportunity of her daughter being out of the room to remove all clothing from the lower half of her body. She wasn't sure if it was her movement which prompted it or not but suddenly, her water finally broke just after successfully performing the task. She started pushing. She had to. There was no thinking or debating about it since she could already feel the baby's head expanding her just one, good push she knew immediately she had made a lot of progress and she began to worry that not even Belle would be around to help guide the baby through.

Her prayers were answered by the sound of the front door flying open. She wasn't sure whose face she would see running into the kitchen but she cried with relief when she saw that it was EJ.

He immediately fell to his knees between her legs, ready to play his part. There was simply no time for anything else as he had clearly seen when he arrived that the baby's head was already half way through. "Alright, sweetheart, I'm here. We got this OK," he spoke to her reassuringly as he slid his hand underneath the baby's head for support. "Where is Belle?"

"She went upstairs to get sheets," Nicole informed him the very moment their daughter's footsteps could be heard thumping down the stairs.

"Daddy, you made it. I got the sheets!"

"Excellent, sweetheart," he praised her, taking one sheet from her with his free hand and spreading it out beneath Nicole with Belle jumping to his assistance. He couldn't believe how brave his little girl was being considering the circumstances but then again, she was Nicole's little clone so it really shouldn't have come as a surprise.

"EJ, I have to keep pushing!"

"Go on sweetheart, we're ready."

Two more good pushes was all it took before EJ was holding the tiny little boy in his hands. Nicole was staring down at the still, little baby in his hands, waiting to hear his first cry but never had she heard a more disturbing silence in her life. It hadn't been more than a few seconds since she gave birth, but with every increasing second she heard no cry she bcame more and more hysterical.

EJ quickly began to work on him, using the other clean sheet to wipe around the baby's mouth and nose to make sure there was nothing preventing him from breathing. He could see the baby's little chest rise and fall, struggling to breathe but it was clear that he was getting no air in. He immediately took to performing mouth to mouth.

Finally, the sound of sirens could be heard outside and just as soon as they'd pulled up they were inside just as quickly. When they finally pried EJ away from the baby so they could take over his care, Nicole heard the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard in her life. In that very brief moment between EJ giving the baby his last breath and the paramedics using their devices to force air down her baby's lungs, her little boy let out a soft, sweet little cry which instantly made her weep tears of joy.

She watched the whole scene with awe, as EJ hovered around the medics attending to the baby while another helped her onto a gurney. She was desperate to know what was going on with the baby too but the pair assigned to help her insisted she lay down and she didn't have the strength left to argue or attempt to do otherwise. After all, the baby was in good hands now. EJ would make sure he was getting all the attention he needed.

He returned to Nicole's side only when he was certain he could be the bearer of positive news. He bent down and hugged her head to him tightly. "He's going to be fine. They've got him breathing steadily on the machine and he's taking well to it. Did you hear that little cry?"

"Yes," she sobbed happily into his chest. "I heard him. I heard my baby cry!"

The significance of that moment was something that had touched him deeply as well. It was a moment that had been stolen from the both of them with Belle and Desmond. It was an irreplacably precious moment that they would never get back, but were finally blessed to have with this baby. He had felt the tears stinging his eyes himself upon hearing his son's cry but ultimately, it was seeing Nicole's happiness now which caused the floodgates to open.

His son. Even though he technically was not, he couldn't imagine loving the boy any more if he were. He was already completely devoted to being the best dad in the world and found it hard to believe there was a time when he'd turned his back on Nicole when he was made to believe that Sydney wasn't his daughter. But of course that was the very reason why he could stand here today and very proudly play the role of father to Nicole's little boy. He had been too stupid and proud before to admit that he had made the worst mistake of his life by letting Nicole and the little girl, both whom he loved dearly regardless, slip away.

Aside from the baby's health issues, which he was sure the little boy would completely overcome with time, everything seemed damn near perfect. His family was bonding wonderfully, the baby was here and surviving. Once the baby was home they would start planning their vow renewal ceremony; the event that Belle was probably more excited about than anyone. It seemed that finally nothing or no one was going to interfere with their happiness. Of course he had no way of knowing that earlier that day, an event had taken place where a source connected to Kristen would learn their precise location. And he was right there in Australia.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Same Day-Afternoon

Children's Hospital, Sydney

EJ sat in the NICU waiting room at the expansive children's hospital, which was relievably second to none in the entire country, bouncing his four-year-old son Desmond on his lap as he enlightened him with all the fun they were going to have together as a family just as soon as they brought his newborn baby brother home. If it hadn't been for his two eldest children whom were totally dependent on him alone at the moment, he would surely be going insane by now.

Nicole and the baby ended up being flown to the hospital via helicopter and EJ had no choice but to make the drive since there was no one around who could care for the children. The three of them had arrived at the hospital just moments before, only to be informed that they would be unable to see either one of them immediately. Dr. Siegel had been called and was tending to the baby while Nicole was in the midst of a routine, post-delivery pelvic exam with one of his associates. The good news was they were able to confidently inform him there were no immediate concerns for Nicole's health. They were much more tight-lipped about the baby and would only say that they were "working on getting him stabilized." If he was this frustrated he could only imagine what Nicole was going through. He couldn't wait to get to her.

"Daddy, you were so awesome today," Belle said as she climbed on the chair next to his and started massaging his shoulders as she had witnessed her mother doing frequently at the end of a long day. "You made him breathe, didn't you? You saved his life."

"I had a lot of help today, sweetheart. I believe the real hero, or heroine I should say, today was you."

His little girl beamed. "Nuh-uh, I wouldn't know how to do what you did."

"Maybe not, but if you hadn't been so quick to call me I wouldn't have gotten there in time, and if you didn't call for the paramedics first it would have taken them much longer to arrive. You knew exactly what to do and in the correct order. I'm so proud of you."

Belle jumped over her brother and onto the free side of her father's lap landing on her knees, facing him. She threw her arms around his neck and pecked him on both cheeks, smiling brilliantly, just as Nicole would do. He suddenly felt overwhelmed with pride over the two beautiful children he and Nicole had created, and were now raising, together.

"Dez was awesome today too daddy," she commented, sending her father a secretive wink. "He was really brave and didn't cry or nothing."

"I was just going to say the same," EJ said smiling down at his own twin version of himself as he kissed the top of his head. "I am so impressed by the both of you."

"Mr. James?"

EJ's head immediately whipped around in the direction of the voice. It was Susan, the nurse who had been his main source of information since their arrival, who had come to deliver some news.

"You can follow me and I'll take you to see Sarah now."

"What about my son," he asked while simultaneously rising from his chair, still holding Alex while Belle voluntarily hopped to her feet and opted to take his hand.

"He's still being worked on," she informed him while leading them through a secure door which had required her to enter a code for passage. "But, I can give you a sneak peak just down the hall."

They paused at the several-feet-long plate-glass window which offered visitors the opportunity to see their new, tiny family members from a safe environment when actual visiting hours were restricted to all but the baby's parents. EJ immediately caught sight f Dr. Siegel and an associate who quickly disappeared out of the room after their arrival.

"You see Dr. Siegel, your mommy's doctor over there," he asked of both his children, dividing his attention equally between them for the duration of his question. "That's your baby brother that he's with right now."

"What are you gonna name him," Desmond inquired, wide-eyed.

"Well, that's what we need to go talk to your mommy about straight-away."

They opened the door to Nicole's room to find her nervously pacing back and forth beside her bed. However, when she saw her family come in, she was all smiles.

"Hi guys," she cried out excitedly as she carefully squatted down with wide, open arms that her children came running into. She hugged them tightly and alternated giving them kisses, one at a time, until she was satisified they were sufficiently covered in them, at least for now.

EJ knew she was only doing what a good mother would by putting her children first, but he could hardly wait to kiss her. He knelt down behind his children and bear-hugged the three of them and found a clear path to Nicole's lips to steal his kiss.

"Congratulations, sweetheart," he said beaming as he stared adoringly into her eyes. "We have a son."

"I know," she replied happily as tears began to gloss her eyes. "I want to see him."

"We got to see him through the big window mommy."

"You did," she replied, casting hopeful eyes at EJ although it was her son who had spoken.

"Yes. On the way back here the nurse showed us. Dr. Siegel was with him. I'll tell you what. He was the most handsome little fellow in that room by far, and already very popular with the ladies. I saw nothing but little pink hats all around him."

Nicole amazingly found herself laughing at a time when she was sick with worry over her baby boy. But that was EJ for you. He was always finding ways to make her smile.

"Hey, there they are! COngratulations mom and dad! And big brother and big sister!"

It was Dr. Siegel, dressed in your typical hospital-green scrubs with booties on his shoes and a mask pulled down under his chin.

Nicole was in no mood for formalities. "Can I see him?"

"Yes. Yes, of course you can. Ordinarily we don't allow children at this hour but we'll make an exception for this special occasion."

He led them down to the NICU and through another set of secure doors to the room playing house to roughly a dozen babies, about half of which had at least one parent present. Nicole instinctively knew which one was her son, and she hurriedly made her way toward his incubator without any form of direction from anyone. EJ quickly joined her upon seeing the distress in her eyes and stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her for comfort.

"He's so small," she whispered with her head turned slightly back toward him. She didn't want to alarm Belle or Desmond by this observation, but Dr. Siegel happened to be close enough to hear.

"Believe it or not he's a whole five ounces heftier then he's expected to be. He weighed in at a very respectable two pounds, two ounces, or just under 1 kilo."

"And that's good, right?"

"Oh, that's excellent!"

"And that's a ventilator he's on?"

"Yes. I don't expect much of what we already discussed to change. We're probably looking at close to two months on the ventilator, plus another month or so after weaning him off to make sure his breathing is regulated and regular feedings are established."

Nicole nodded understandingly. "But he's going to make it, right?"

"Sarah, you know by principal I can't make that kind of a statement. I can tell you, as of now he's doing as well as can be expected but I've seen this go both ways. The best advice I can give you is call on your faith, think positively, and give this little boy a name."

"Can I hold him?"

"Not in your arms, not yet, but you can touch him, and stroke him gently. Most likely you can get him to grab a hold of your finger when he's awake."

"Hey there, handsome," Nicole cooed as she let her hand slide through one of the wide, round openings on the side of the incubator which allowed access to the baby. Her fingertips tingled triggered by the emotional impact from the moment they made contact with his silky smooth, life-assuringly warm skin. Although he'd appeared to be sleeping during the extent of her presence there, his mother's touch awoke him from his dormant state and sent his little arms and legs flailing in response.

"I'm gonna leave you all to get acquainted for a while. When I come back I want to know a name, got it?"

"Got it," Nicole assured him just as her little boy grabbed hold of one of the fingers she was dangling before him. "EJ, look."

"Boy, he's holding on strong. He doesn't want to let you go. Believe me, I know the feeling, little guy."

Nicole melted as he enveloped her in his arms from behind and kissed her just behind the ear but at this point, not even EJ could distract her from her newest little miracle and the task at hand.

"He's right, you know, We have to stop with all this 'handsome' and 'little guy' stuff and give him a real name.

"I'm well aware of that dear," EJ said as his own hand ventured inside the incubator to stroke the baby boy. "It's you who's been so indecisive. I like all the names we picked out."

"I know. I really like Julian, but Julian James? Ick!"

"I'm afraid I have to agree. And of course I liked Christian until you pointed out how close it is to someone else's name. Into the fire that one goes."

"OK, so that leaves us with Ian, Chandler, and Sawyer."

"I like all three."

"And all three sound good with James," Nicole stated matter-of-factly. "I think we have to take a family vote."

"You mean me and Dez get to help pick out his name, mommy?" Belle was now jumping in place at the prospect.

"Well, I don't see how else your daddy and I are going to decide, and since you two are such excellent decision-makers, I can't think of better people for the job."

"Ooh, oooh can I say mine first," Belle pleaded, grabbing onto Nicole's leg."

EJ stepped in. "We have to do this fairly now so let's go in order by age, from youngest to oldest. Desmond, what is your pick?"

"I don't remember what they are."

"Ian, Chandler, and Sawyer, dummy," Belle said with mock disgust. It had become a regular term of endearment for Desmond, courtesy of his sister.

"Sawyer," Desmond finally answered after a good minute of some serious contemplating.

"Me too," Belle chimed in eagerly, spinning in circles to further express her excitement.

"Me three," Nicole piped in, turning her head around slightly to cast an impish smile at EJ.

"Hey, I did say from youngest to oldest," he didn't hesitate to scold her for stepping out of line.

"Oh five months I've got on you, big deal."

"Four."

"No, five," Nicole said shaking her head insistently. "I'm September, you're February. That's-"

"Four. As in 'me four.' My vote is for Sawyer too."

"OK," Nicole replied, beaming. "Sawyer Ian James?"

EJ nodded in full agreement. "Sawyer Ian James it is."

"Sawyer Ian James, huh," The masked man on the other side of the glass from the nurse's station side snarked under his breath. "Don't you mean Sawyer Ian Black?"

He raised his cell phone to begin snapping pictures of the family who were completely oblivious to his presence since being preoccupied with their new family member. But he was smart enough to do the math. The baby was twenty-six weeks old, as his good buddy Victor Siegel had been so kind to fill him in on, which made it impossible for the little boy to be EJ's. And he had thought finding EJ, Nicole and the kids before anyone else did would guarantee he'd be set for life, but it was always good to have a back-up and little baby Black was sure to be all the assurance Jakob Chyka needed to get everything he asked for from Kristen DiMera.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Six Weeks Later

Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney

Jakob Chyka sat at the small, round table by his window overlooking the harbor, scrolling through the hundreds of photos on his laptop depicting various combinations of EJ, Nicole, and the children in just about every move they've made throughout the past six weeks since he had found them. Funny thing was, he hadn't really been looking for them. As a DiMera associate, he had been put on alert to report should he see or hear anything, but it wasn't his job per se to do any digging. He'd already fulfilled his part in Kristen's quest to recover the children: for a nice lump sum he'd provided her with four vials full of his new and improved mind erasing drug. It was absolutely brilliant. One could literally erase years in their entirety by matching the number of desired years to units of the drug which would be administered by injection to the back of the neck. He'd supplied her with nearly enough to bring them all back to their grade school years if that was what she desired. He didn't care what she did with it. He'd already made his four million.

Yes, working for the DiMera's had provided him with quite the life, as he had proudly boasted to his old med school buddy Victor Siegel during their latest annual get-together. They had both grown up in the states and met while attending Harvard Med. Naturally, after graduation their work took them all over the world and often in opposite directions but they never lost touch and vowed to always meet up once a year, usually involving a game of golf somewhere along the way. As luck would have it, it was his turn to visit Victor wherever he was and the place nor the time could be more perfect.

On March 5th, they had met for an early-morning, pre-game breakfast on country-club premises where his buddy couldn't help but keep prodding to know more about this mysterious employer that he'd told him about the night before after several drinks during their strip-club outing. Of course he'd promised complete discretion to the DiMeras and he'd always kept good on that promise for there were few people in the world that he trusted. Victor was one of those few and that combined with the fact that he'd been dying to brag about the ridiculous amount of money he made to someone allowed him to justify just this one indiscretion. He never imagined dropping the name DiMera would lead to a goldmine. Apparently his friend was just as trusting of him for he couldn't wait to get his own experience with the DiMeras off his chest.

Victor Siegel had done his research since the day EJ DiMera and Nicole Walker set foot in his office. Of course it was Nicole's name he had googled first but it didn't take him long to identify EJ through his ties to her. The two of them were supposed to be dead, and the only mention of them having children was the two babies she had 'lost.' He'd kept quiet after that as he'd agreed since it became clearly apparent he wasn't dealing with your every day average crooks. The whole family knew how to disappear and he was certain they could do the same for him if he didn't do as he was asked.

Jakob however had painted a different picture. He gave Victor the details on his latest project, going as far as explaining that Kristen was the one running the show now and would be using his drug on members of her own family once she found them. When he'd asked for names, he didn't hesitate to share: EJ, his ex-wife Nicole, and their two children Antonietta and Alexander. It was here Victor told them story of the day his most memorable couple showed up at his office.

The heated exchange of information between the two began, and continued long after they'd finished their meals. Victor gave him everything he knew in exchange for one request: a nice settlement of his own courtesy of Kristen DiMera. Once Jakob assured him he could name his price, Victor filled him in on everything from their new identities, home address and cell phone numbers to the complet details of Nicole's pregnancy, ending on the note that he would most likely be delivering her baby tomorrow. As it turned out, Victor had gotten a phone call from his answering service almost immediately after making the statement, informing him that Sarah James had just delivered her baby at home and was being flown to the children's hospital. Victor reported that he was heading over immediately. He invited Jakob to join him.

He had taken a good portion of his photos that day, concentrating mainly on the children, but it was important he include EJ and Nicole with them as much as possible so Kristen couldn't try to argue that the kids were only lookalikes. There were plenty of the baby as well since he had two markets who'd take interest. Of course he was certain he'd only need to shop them to one. After all, if Kristen wanted Brady's baby as a bonus she'd have to pay up or he'd take his offer to Mr. Black himself but he knew that would never happen. Not because he wouldn't do it, but there was no way Kristen would risk losing control of any of them. Her future depended on it. Everyone in the DiMera organization knew those kids had inherited everything and Kristen would be left with nothing but a job at DiMera enterprises when the children took over, if they wished to keep her. She needed to remain close to them until she could either convince them to give her her share or she figured out a way to take it from them. He imagined the latter was more likely.

It was also no secret that she still had an obsession with Brady Black. She had people in Salem watching him, and Nicole before she was 'killed', at all times, reporting back every detail of their current relationship status. But surprisingly that was as far as it went and those within the DiMera organization who resorted to gossip offered an explanation. Kristen had been overheard confiding in someone over the phone that she realized her obligations to the children would prevent her from having a life with Brady so she was throwing in the towel. Now wouldn't the opportunity to raise Brady's child be the perfect little consolation prize for his employer?

Finally, it was time to make his move. He had purposely waited several weeks to show that he was a patient man and, he intended to lead her on for several more before he revealed himself as the informant and relayed his asking price which would include Victor's cut. It was all about choosing the right photo but he was careful to not choose any which would hint at the baby or their location. He preferred to save those for his in-person sit-down. He decided on one he'd taken about a week ago when the children came up for the weekend to stay with EJ and Nicole at the hotel, as was part of the usual routine with the baby being in the NICU. During the week the children stayed in Umina with the neighbors so they could continue their schooling, and either EJ or Nicole would drive down every day to see them when school ended. If it was a day when the NICU allowed siblings to visit, the children would be driven to Sydney so they could visit their brother, then they would all go have dinner together before one parent or the other drove them back home. On the days that visitors weren't allowed, EJ or Nicole would go to Umina and stay with the kids until it was bedtime, then drive back to Sydney.

The picture he chose was simply a shot of the family as they were enroute on foot to the restaurant to have dinner with the little boy up on EJ's shoulders and the little girl holding Nicole's hand. It was a nice close up too which didn't give away any helpful hints to their surroundings. In the subject line of his email he typed in: 'You still haven't found what you're looking for...,' in the body, he inserted the following: '...but I have,' then proceeded to attach the picture. That was it. No contact information, no further instructions, nothing. Of course she would try to trace it, but nothing would lead her directly to him. Every bit of information linked to the email account and registration of his computer was phony. The only usable bit of info she could obtain was that the sender was in Sydney Australia and she was smart enough to know that didn't necessarily mean EJ and family was in Sydney. Even if Kristen decided to venture there, chances were slim of her making the discovery on her own in such a huge, populous city and she would have no reason to consider the children's hospital a likely spot to go searching.

A rush of excitement shot through his entire body as he clicked 'send.' He only wished he could be there to see the look on her face when she received it.

Same Day London, England

Brady Black on the other hand was there to witness, though at the time he didn't know what it was Kristen had seen on her phone which caused her to bolt from the bar where they were having a drink without explanation. They were still in London for the most part though both were forced to leave from time to time to keep up appearances at work while continuing their so-far fruitless search for Nicole, at least from his perspective. He was well aware she had been withholding a lot of information and he was forced to resort to taking Rafe up on his suggestion of sleeping with her to piece it all together. He took advantage of those moments when she was passed out cold after a night of drinking and frolicking beneath the sheets to go through her phone, computer, bags and suitcases to see just what he was missing.

The stills from the airport security footage was what hit him the hardest. He had finally seen his first actual proof that Nicole was alive, though Kristen had sworn up and down she didn't believe it was Nicole when he'd showed her the footage himself. Her hair was a different color but it was undoubtedly her. Then there was one with EJ from around the same date and time but at a different airport. It made no sense. How could EJ be forcing her into anything when they weren't travelling together? Then there was the two kids who at first he didn't pay attention to, thinking they were just some random kids passing by. But they were in most of the photos Kristen had in her collection, all from different days and different airports. Sometimes they were with EJ, sometimes they were with Nicole. Sometimes EJ had one and Nicole had the other. It was all too weird.

Then there was the thick file on a woman named Linda Wooley containing all kinds of publicly available information on her along with some handwritten notes he recognized as Kristen's writing. He hadn't thought too much about it since the hairdresser hardly seemed to be a likely source of information but when her dead body turned up floating in the river just a few days later, Brady was quick to pass that information on to the ISA along with some information regarding another alarming discovery: the stockpile of some non-descript drugs that Kristen was toting around with her.

Now, judging from the way Kristen had just fled, he would have something else to share. He was decidedly more aware of her behaviors now than he'd ever been before and knew that if she was acting as if she had something to hide, she did. He could only pray each time that would be the last time he would have to sleep with her to figure out what it was and that Nicole would forgive him since his only motive was rescuing her from EJ. However, when he discovered the source of Kristen's freak-out later that evening, Nicole was looking more and more like a woman who wasn't in need of rescue and Brady was forced to fabricate a story for Kristen's benefit about how her cell phone ended up with a shattered screen.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Sydney

One Month Later

Nicole sat at a small, round table at an outdoor cafe on a Friday afternoon across from Natalie, cradling her best friend's baby girl Lily, who was now three months old, in her arms as she bottle-fed her. Although it had become customary for either EJ or Nicole to do all the driving back and forth, Natalie had offered to bring Belle and Desmond to Sydney herself since hearing her friend Sarah was going to be having a very busy day. Nicole had excitedly informed her over the phone that morning they would finally be bringing Sawyer home tomorrow, cutting short his projected stay at the hospital by two weeks. It couldn't have worked out more perfectly since Natalie was scheduled to return to work on Monday, leaving her regretfully unable to watch over Belle and Desmond any longer. Nicole had never had such a good-natured female friend. Natalie kind of reminded her of Jennifer Horton, only she was about a full foot taller, and fun.

"Natalie, seriously, Ethan and I spent the entire night last night discussing where to begin repaying you and Jeff for everything you've done. I can't say enough how grateful we are."

"Don't be silly, you don't owe us a thing! That's what friends are for. Now let's talk about this baby of yours. I know ou can't wait to bring him home!"

"Yes and no," Nicole replied hesitantly. "I mean, of course we're over the moon about the idea of bringing him home, but with his condition I'm nervous that he's not going to have all the nurses around all the time, you know."

"He doesn't need nurses, he's got something even better, you and Ethan. You two will watch over him better than any nurse ever could. Believe me, they wouldn't send him home with you if they didn't think you could handle it."

"I know, but I just have this fear that even though we've been shown everything we need to do I'm going to forget it all and completely panic if he has an episode."

The 'episode' Nicole was referring to was Sawyer's battles with sleep apnea. In addition to being sent home indefinitely on oxygen at all times due to permanent damage to his lungs as a result of being on a ventilator, he would have to wear a monitor whenever sleeping which would be able to detect if he were to stop breathing. The occurences of the apnea after he was removed from the ventilator were frequent but he usually would resume breathing on his own after being stimulated simply by human touch. However, there had been three frightening episodes in which he was unable to breathe and CPR had been required. The first time it had happened, the hospital staff had performed the necessary procedures. For the next two times, EJ and Nicole each got their turn to demonstrate they had learned well from the CPR course it was suggested they both take.

"Sweetie, that's your little boy we're talking about. You can't tell me that if that monitor goes off and your baby is not breathing that you wouldn't know exactly what you need to do. Honey, you wouldn't even think about it, you'd just do it. Just like Ethan did when he was born. And that was well before his CPR training."

"I know, you're right," Nicole said as she withdrew the now-empty bottle from Lily's mouth and gently repositioned the baby on her shoulder to burp her. "I'm being totally ridiculous."

"No, you're not," Natalie said reaching around the table to lay a comforting hand on her arm. "You're being a concerned, loving mother. I know I would feel exactly the same way."

"Thank you for being such a terrific friend," she said with a grateful smile. "And, on that note," she began, perking up her mood for the impending change of subject. "You said you had something you want to talk about so I am all ears."

Natalie began to fidget in her chair nervously. "Yeah, about that. I hate to be the bearer of more unpleasantries but I wanted to tell you what happened between the girls last night. They got into a huge fight and Belle was really upset and I'm afraid it all my fault."

"What? What happened," Nicole said as she scooted her chair closer to her friend, her face blanketed with concern.

"Apparently Emma brought up something to her that she and I were discussing the other day. We were talking about Lily and then she started on with the whole 'where do babies come from' inquisition so I began explaining everything as innocently as I could. Anyway, so she brought you into the conversation saying you and I must have gotten pregnant almost the same time since we had our babies so close together, but then I explained that you had your baby earlier than you were supposed to so I actually laid out for her when I got pregnant and that you must have gotten pregnant either late August or early September. So Emma is trying to explain all this to Belle, but Belle was insisting that it had to have happened after her birthday in November. She was crying so hard, I sent Emma to her room and I talked with Belle and told her that Emma probably confused some of the things we talked about. I knew it wasn't my place to tell her what she was thinking was impossible."

Nicole could physically feel the same, nauseating heartbreak she was sure her daughter was also feeling right now. Her daughter was an incredibly bright little girl and Natalie's calculations had been completely accurate. Belle had figured out that EJ wasn't Sawyer's father, even if she chose not to believe it. She could think of nothing but getting back to her little girl so that she could explain but it was clear by the way her friend was looking at her that she needed to come up with another explanation for her, and fast. After all, she knew her line of work well and the last thing she needed was Natalie walking around with unanswered questions about them on her mind.

"I have an explanation for that," Nicle offered after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. "I know how you and Jeff always tease that Ethan and I are like the perfect couple, but the truth of it is, we were having a lot of troubles when I got pregnant. We had been planning this move out here for a long time and then as it got closer to becoming reality, I started getting cold feet. I told him I thought maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all and we got into this huge argument and I left him. I took the kids and went to my sister's for like a month before we worked things out. Of course that was pretty much right within that time-frame."

"Hey, even the best couples have problems. It's what makes a great couple. You work through them and come out stronger in the end."

Nicole chuckled to herself. If she only knew. "Yeah, we're good now."

"Good," Natalie said with a warm smile as she extended her arms toward Nicole, gesturing she was attempting to retrieve her baby. "I'm sure you'll want to get back to talk to her. Ethan is probably already cursing you, wondering when you'll get back."

Natalie's comment prompted Nicole to check her phone. She had forgotten it was probably on silent since she'd just been in the nursery with Sawyer before meeting Natalie at the cafe after her friend had dropped the children off with EJ at the hotel. She could at least feel the vibration of her phone when it was tucked in her jeans or the pocket of her jacket but she had dropped it into her purse this time. Sure enough, there were several messages from EJ, urging her to come back to the hotel ASAP regarding Belle.

"Oh god, you're right," Nicole said as she jumped to her feet, her voice ladened with panic. "EJ texted me like a dozen times. I guess she's still pretty upset."

"You go, sweetie, don't worry about a thing. I got this."

"Thank you," Nicole said breathlessly as she leaned down to give her friend a quick hug before taking off down the street toward the hotel which was only just over a block away.

Natalie smiled after her friend fondly but that smile began to gradually fade as she recalled many of the strange comments and behaviors made by the children during their stay with them, nevermind the inconsistencies of stories that Sarah and Ethan themselves had shared with her and her husband throughout the months.

For starters, with this recent interaction, Sarah had mentioned a sister when she clearly remembered on at least one occasion she had mentioned that she and Ethan both were only children. She had also referred to him as EJ just now which was probably just a nickname she might have used for him at one time but still a bit strange none-the-less. However, it wasn't half as odd as Ethan referring to her as Nicole , several times, the day he'd called to inform her that she'd delivered the baby at home and asked for her help with the children.

Then there was the day she heard Belle singing while she and Emma were playing in her daughter's room. She already knew the little girl was a gifted singer, but she never imagined she would know how to sing opera, in Italian to boot. And she didn't just sing in Italian, she spoke it fluently. She'd listened through the door for several minutes while Belle had tried to teach her daughter to say several phrases in the foreign language, then proceed to translate lines from their favorite Disney princess movies into Italian for her.

Something strange was going on with this family and she wan't sure if she'd only began to question them now because she was kicking back into work mode, or if it was because she simply didn't want to believe they weren't the perfect familythey seemed to be. She adored them all, and still did even through these rather unsettling occurences, but she could no longer deny the fact that they were hiding something and it was the nature of her calling to find out exactly what that something was.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Sydney

Same Day

Nicole went flying into the hotel room expecting to find her daughter crying her eyes out whle EJ loomed over her helplessly trying to comfort her. To her surprise, although it was apparent Belle had been quite upset earlier, she was now sitting calmly and tear-free on EJ's lap on the long sofa belonging to their two bedroom hotel suite. They both looked up and smiled at her upon her arrival, sending an instant dose of relief through her veins. She had been half expecting her daughter would stare her down with the same, condescending gaze she was used to getting from the people in Salem after being labeled the town whore but, thankfully, all she saw was a little girl who was happy to see her mommy.

"Hi, princess," she whispered, upon noticing Desmond napping through the open door leading into one of the bedrooms. She sat down next to them and Belle immediately climbed from EJ's lap to hers, falling right into her mother's open arms, squeezing back every bit as strongly as Nicole was hugging her. "How's my big girl?"

"Ok," she replied quietly, still holding on to her mother tight.

Nicole glanced to EJ who was in the process of draping his arm across her shoulders. He gave her a knowing wink and a kiss to her forehead before further enlightening her. "Belle and I have been having a very big girl conversation."

"Oh yeah, what have you two been talking about" she inquired with enthusiasm, all for her daughter's benefit since she herself was completely dreading the impending conversation.

"It's Ok, sweetheart," EJ said comfortingly to his daughter as he rubbed her back gently for added effect. "Tell your mommy why you were upset and what we talked about."

"Does this have to do with the fight you had with Emma," Nicole quickly interjected, aiming to take some of the pressure away from Belle of starting such an awkward conversation.

"Emma's mommy told you, didn't she?"

"Yes. She told me you got into a fight about when I got pregnant with Sawyer." She spoke softly as she twirled her little girl's hair into ringlets around her finger for it's known soothing effect on her. "And you figured out that if she was right, that meant your daddy and I weren't together at the time."

Belle nodded in agreement with her head still resting on Nicole's chest throughout the motion. "Daddy said that she was right, and he's not Sawyer's real daddy."

"How did that make you feel?"

"Sad."

"Sad, because you wanted your daddy to be his real daddy, or sad because you thought he wouldn't really be your brother?"

Belle slid backward to the edge of her knee but remained facing her, ready to engage in deep conversation. "Both, I guess. But Daddy said that he loves Sawyer just as much as me and Desmond and you and that he is still my brother."

"He is definitely still your brother, princess," Nicole reassured her. "Technically speaking, he's what you call your half-brother but, when you love someone as much as I know you adore him, the love is all that really matters, sweetie."

"That's exactly what daddy said," Belle exclaimed, smiling at EJ proudly. "He told me I have another brother and a sister too and you're not their mommy, but you love them and they love you." Her look suddenly darkened as she recalled her conversation with her father from earlier. "I wish I could meet them. I always wanted a sister."

"I'm sure daddy explained why you can't meet them."

"Cuz of Aunt Kristen."

"Yes, because of your crazy Aunt Kristen," Nicole replied, growing agitated by the mere mention of her name. "Things would be a lot different for all of us if it weren't for your Aunt Kristen."

"Daddy said he has a brother who's normal, and that you have a brother and a sister."

EJ's choice of words in reference to Chad caused her to laugh out loud. It was actually less of a remark about his younger brother's personality and more of a slap to Kristen and the rest of the DiMeras. "Yes, your Uncle Chad, daddy's brother, is a sweetheart."

"What about your brother and sister?"

"Well, I haven't seen my brother, your Uncle Brandon, in a really long time and your Aunt Taylor and I don't exactly get along very well," she informed her daughter, watching EJ carefully as she brought up the subject of Taylor. Aside from appearing slightly uncomfortable, he seemed to be completely indifferent to the mention of her name which she suspected all along. Although EJ's affair with her sister had broken her heart, Taylor was never really a threat when compared to Sami. Sami. Samantha. She started to wonder if EJ had elected to fill their daughter in on the fact that he would be legally bound to another woman should anyone discover he was alive. She was about to find out, but she approached the subject tactfully. "So, did your daddy explain who Sawyer's daddy is?"

"He said he was the man you were living with when you left him to be with us."

"Yes. His name is Brady, and he's a very nice man that I've known for a long time. Even longer than I've known your daddy."

"Do you love him more than daddy," Belle inquired worriedly as her eyes began to tear.

"Oh god, honey no," Nicole said as she immediately drew Belle back into her arms. "There has never been another man I love more than your daddy. You have to remember I thought he was dead. Sweetie no one has even come close to how much I love your daddy."

"That's what daddy said about you too when we talked about Johnny and Sydney's mom."

"He did," Nicole inquired of her daughter, her voice filled with hope. It only took one glance over at EJ to not only know that her daughter was speaking the truth, but so was the source of the information she relayed to her. She instantly dropped her intentions of bringing up Sami any further. Just like Taylor, Sami appeared to be far from EJ's mind as he looked upon her and their daughter with complete adoration.

"You don't have to worry about your daddy and me, princess. We're both in a really good place now. There's no one we want to be with more than each other and we are not going to let anyone or anything come between us, all of us, ever again."

"Your mother is right, sweetheart," EJ finally spoke up, sensing that his reassurance was needed, at least for Belle's sake. As for Nicole, he had never witnessed a stronger, more confident version of her before this day. Of course she always spoke positively of any situation involving direct iteraction with the children, but on many occasions he had sensed it was solely for their benefit. For probably the first time ever, he was now witnessing her speak with such conviction which could only be the result of one thing. She finally believed in him, in them, and the icredible, indivisible future they could have together. "Having us all together is our dream come true. I will never allow anyone to take you, or your brothers, or your mommy away from me ever again."

"Do you pinky swear," Belle asked with a giggle as she waved her referenced appendage in the air to engage in the very same pact-sealing gesture he'd taught her.

"Yes, I pinky swear," he replied, chuckling himself as their fingers intertwined and shook.

None of them could have known at the time just how significant a role this conversation would play in getting them through the difficult months which lay ahead, or that the onset of events which would try it's hand at tearing their family apart once again was only a mere four days away.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Same Day

London

Kristen DiMera restlessly paced the entire length of the cabin in the DiMera Enterprises jet as she impatiently waited for notification it was time to take off. Their flight was being delayed briefly while they waited for a severe thunderstorm to pass and it was times like these she wished she had a pilot's license, or at least the necessary training, so she could call mutiny and fly the damn thing herself. It was bad enough the flight alone was going to take roughly twenty-two hours but, give or take a few extra minutes here or there, by this time tomorrow, she should at least have her eye on the prize.

It had been seven, long, grueling months but finally she had found them. Well, Chyka found them and naturally shook her down for an outrageous payout. She had no choice but to humor him for now but once she had the children, all three of them, securely in her possession, she would send in her men to demand a refund before they carried out their orders guaranteeing that lunatic doctor would never cross her, or anyone, again. By the time her guys got through with the hours of torture she had outlined for him, he'd be begging for them to just end it all. Ultimately they would honor his request, but not before making him suffer for toying with her with the emails and photographs for well over a month. Of course she wished she could be there to enjoy the show in person, but she was going to be way too busy caring for her new, gorgeous baby boy.

It was going to be hard saying goodbye to Brady again but in a few days it would be he who would send her packing anyway. He would finally be reunited with Nicole, and boy was he going to have his hands full. She planned to use enough of the drug on Nicole so that she wouldn't remember the children or even meeting EJ, but for no one's sake other than Brady's, she would allow her to at least remember meeting him. Considering how happy Nicole looked in every one of those pictures Chyka sent over, she imagined she was actually doing Brady a favor.

Of course there was one tiny problem. It would be discovered upon treatmemnt that Nicole had recently given birth to a child. This is where proper staging would come into play. Half of her people already stationed in Australia were hard at work setting the scene and been assigned to find a little hideaway where it would appear EJ had been holding her captive. Brady would surely buy the story from the "clues" left at the scene that it had been EJ who had got her pregnant and she must have miscarried since there was no sign of a baby. Meanwhile, the other half of her people were already designing Ethan, Sarah, Desmond, Annabelle, and Sawyer James' exit from Australia. By the time they were through it would be like they never existed.

Right now, Brady was her biggest problem. It was easy to keep him at a distance from her findings while she was still searching, mostly due to the fact that she hadn't found anything significant to go on until she started receiving the daily photos from Chyka, but now it was a different story. Of course he was under the impression that she was summoned to Sydney for business but she managed to raise an eyebrow when she insisted he come along. It wasn't because she really needed him there. God knows now that she got what she needed he was practically useless to her other than enjoying the pleasure of his company. She just couldn't get the fantasy she'd been dreaming of the past few months out of her head. By the time all was said and done, Brady would once again look upon her fondly for doing this one, last completely selfless act for his benefit. Oh, and the part where she tricks him into pulling the trigger himself on EJ was pretty priceless too. Until it was time for him to play his intended role though, she needed to keep him occupied so she came up with assigning him the task of going through new airport security footage from Singapore she would just obtain upon their arrival. While he spent hours scouring through the videos searching for any sign of Nicole, she would actually be watching the real thing carefully. She also ended up paying Chyka more than he'd initially demanded since she requested a supply of tranquilizers for the trip. One or two of the pills placed in Brady's drink before bedtime would be her assurance that he would have a nice, long, uninterrupted sleep while she was busy getting things lined up.

Everything had to go according to her fantasy. She was going to enjoy torturing Nicole and her brother every bit as much as she'd enjoy playing Brady's hero. After all, after the seven months of hell she'd just been through, she deserved to have a little bit of fun for her troubles. She could hardly wait to see the look on their faces when she showed up for a surprise visit.

"Dammit," Brady's voice resonated loudly throughout the plane's cabin, shaking her from her little reverie. "I can't find my cell."

"Oh no, do you think you might have dropped it in the car," she responded, picking up her phone off the small table next to her chosen seat and beginning to dial before even proposing the following statement. "I'll call Edward and have him check the back seat."

She knew very well it wouldn't be there. As a precautionary measure, she'd scooped it up when he'd left it unattended and pitched it into a trash can outside the hotel herself. It wasn't that she didn't trust him or was attempting to cut him off from contacting anyone. She just wanted to make sure that any contact from now on was carefully supervised and she could monitor his communications when he was forced to use her phone. It was a safe practice since her people were now on a strict, 'don't contact me, I'll contact you, unless it's an absolute emergency' policy.

After a brief inquiry with her driver, she informed him the phone was not there. To her relief, it was at the same time her pilot informed her they were finally ready to take off.

Brady let out a deep, frustrated sigh as he took the seat next to Kristen and buckled in. He was sure the misplacement of his phone was no accident. He knew she must have found out some major piece of information regarding Nicole, EJ, and those two kids for he'd never seen her move so quick as she did to get them on the plane to Australia. Whoever had been sending her all those pictures must have finally come forward. It was hard to believe he could be this close to finally seeing Nicole again, although he had to wonder if reuniting him with Nicole was actually part of Kristen's plan. He had to get a message to Bo or Shane somehow, informing them of their destination and his suspicions. He could only hope that with all the information he'd been providing them with thus far including forwarding snapshots of the pictures off Kristen's phone, which not only proved EJ and Nicole were very much alive and together but that someone knew their exact whereabouts, the ISA would draw the conclusion on their own that their presence in Australia may be needed. He couldn't do any of that from Kristen's phone. The most he could do was send his father and granddad a brief text regarding his intended travel plans and hope for the best. If they had been flying commercially, he would try to call from the airport between flight changes but since they were in Kristen's private jet they would only need to land to refuel which didn't require them getting off the plane. Of course it was also possible that his granddad had given instruction to some of his minions to keep a close eye on what was going on with him and Kristen. If this were to be the case, it would be one time he would be grateful for Victor's over-protectiveness.

As he imagined, the two refuelling stops they had made were completed in record time by Kristen's demand, leaving him no opportunity to disembark the plane. By the time they arrived in Sydney, Brady had been out of contact with the outside world for almost exactly a full tweny-four hours. Although they had rested a good deal in-flight, both were completely exhausted by the time they arrived at the hotel. It was his suggestion they shower, order some room service, and then go to bed so she would be well-rested for her business meeting first thing in the morning. While she was busy showering, he could finally slip away and make his call.

"Sounds wonderful to me," she said as she collapsed into a sitting position on the side of the bed nearest the telephone on the nightstand. "However," she interjected, lifting the receiver from the old-school, push-button land-line phone, "I'm going to change the order of events and have us sent up a bottle of wine for starters. I just really need to unwind before I can even think of doing another thing."

Brady took a seat beside her while she placed the order and patiently waited for her to finish the call before offering a suggestion. "You know, I can probably help you out with this unwinding bit." He moved in on her aggressively, kissing her neck with the same passion he once did before he'd finally wised up to who Kristen DiMera actually was. This had always proven itself to be a successful distraction method but tonight, it was getting him nowhere. She entertained his affections for only a few seconds before pushing him away.

"Believe me, I appreciate the offer," she began breathlessly, "but I'm sorry. I can't. Not tonight."

"I understand," he offered with a forgiving smile. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing here anyway. I'm supposed to be looking for the woman I was about to ask to marry me. I shouldn't be doing this."

"Don't beat yourself up, Brady. If you're going to blame anyone, blame me. I should have never let you go there. You are distraught, and in need of comfort and I used that to make excuses for my role in all this. I promise you, if we ever do find Nicole, this will be our little secret. I have no intention of causing problems for you two. I only want you to be happy. I hope you know that."

"Are you kidding," Brady excalimed, pausing the conversation briefly to answer the door and receive the bottle of wine requested. "Kristen, the day I'm reunited with Nicole, it will be because of you. I wouldn't have dared to dream she might be alive if it weren't for you."

"I wish I was more help," she said with feigned regretfulness. This was turning out to be one of her best performances to date."

"We're both doing everything he can," he assured her as he handed her a glass of wine and took the first sip of his.

"Speaking of, I should check in and see if there's any news," she said as she started rummaging through her purse in search of her cell phone. Of course she knew exactly where it was at all times and currently it was hidden beneath one of the pillows. It was all part of her strategy to get him out of the room. "Oh shoot!"

"What? What is it," he asked with alarm, setting his glass of wine down on the nightstand next to hers so she could have his full attention.

"I think I left my phone on the counter when we checked in."

"I'll go check," he offered immediately, as she knew he would since it would give him a few minutes of unsupervised use of her phone and her just enough time to dissolve a couple of tranquilizers in his drink; a task which she took to immediately after he closed the door behind him. She merely thought he would appreciate some privacy when John or Victor grilled him for details about what was going on. She was completely clueless as to how much Brady actually knew and that if he would contact anyone, it would be the ISA.

Since there was no phone to be found, he was back in under five minutes. "It's not there," he informed her, storming into the room and immediatey heading toward their pile of bags.

"Found it," she exclaimed, waving it in the air. "I just called down to the desk but they said you were already on your way back. Now, we can pick up where we left off," she said, eagerly handing his glass of wine back to him.

"Good," he replied, taking the glass from her and proceeding to sip. "Did you check? Anything new?"

"Well, yes and no. Richard is sending over a large file via email of some new footage for us to go through but I just checked and it's still in the process of receiving. I'm going to leave that up to you to go through until this meeting is over and done."

"Of course," he responded amidst a long, drawn out promised by Chyka, the tranquilizers began to take their effect rapidly and in less than ten mintutes, she had him tucked into bed so she was free to leave for the evening. The van was already waiting downstairs as she'd instucted the driver to do via text. The vehicle belonged to a local cable company and was easily obtained without risk of being reported stolen through her Australian connections. As luck would have it, the house to the left of the one immediately across the street from where EJ and family were residing was vacant and her men had already managed to find their way inside to set up the stake-out, their first report being that the family of five was indeed back home. In about one hour, she would see her future son in the flesh and begin to construct a plan to have him in her arms at last, and Antonietta and Alexander back under her control.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The Next Evening

Umina

EJ and Nicole hovered over the crib in the nursery of their very own home where little Sawyer James lay fast asleep, watching the baby boy carefully. It was only his second night home and the idea of not having several nurses available to watch him 24/7 was taking some getting used to for the both of them. Although he had slept through his first night at home peacefully and without incident, neither Nicole nor EJ had slept a wink. It wasn't for lack of trying. They had laid in bed and took turns attempting to lull each other to sleep with alternating back rubs and a little game they liked to play where they purposely tried to bore each other to death with the most uninteresting conversation topics ever, but each time one had asked if the other was still awake after a long, still silence, the answer was always 'yes.'

"I still can't believe he's really here," Nicole said in her quietest whisper as she smiled sweetly upon her son and lovingly stroked his warm little cheek with her thumb and re-checked that his oxygen tubing was securely in place for the zillionth time.

"It's hard to believe he'll be a whole eleven weeks old in just two days," EJ replied in an equally hushed tone as he slipped one arm around her waist and joined her in stroking the baby with his other, causing Sawyer to stir briefly, smile, then resume his slumber.

"I think I'd be perfectly happy to just stand here and watch him all night."

"I know that you would, sweetheart," EJ began, wrapping both his arms around her now from behind, pulling her to him tightly, "but you really need to get some sleep. Lack of sleep is not good for you, the baby, and your lactation."

"Thank you, Dr. Brazleton," she replied mockingly as she spun around to face him. "I know, I know, I am going to bed soon, I promise."

"Good, 'cause I for one am completely exhausted and how am I supposed to sleep if I have to worry about you too?"

"EJ, you don't have to worry about me anymore," she replied reassuringly, cupping his face in her hands at the jawbone just before delivering an intensely passionate kiss to his lips. He let her lead the way, and only stopped when she decided it was time. "I have never been so happy in my entire life," she went on to explain, holding his gaze for every word so he could see she was speaking with truth and conviction. "I can't even put my finger on exactly what it is that has changed but I just want you to know, I know this time is going to be forever with us."

"I know, sweetheart. I-"

Nicole was too pumped to let him finish and continued to plead her case, every word still in whispers. "I mean it EJ. Whenever somebody would try to come between us before, I'd tell them fat chance on the outside, but inside, I let their words get to me. And now, it's like I imagine the same people saying the same negative crap all over again, only this time I don't believe a word of it and I tell them exactly where they can shove it."

"Sweetheart, look at where you were about seven months ago, and where you are today. Your entire life was turned upside down and drastically changed forever in minutes. Changes that would normally be made gradually over the course of several years."

"So, in other words, I grew up."

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all. What I mean is, you're a mother now. You have three children who not only look up to you and completely adore you, they are totally dependent on you and every single interation between you, and them, and us, is going to be what defines who they become. This change you feel isn't some mysterious phenomenon. It's you being the very best mommy you know how to be, and that includes fighting for what you believe in and fighting to keep our family together."

"I love you SO much," she stated as if it were just plain fact as she stared dreamily into his eyes. She didn't need a verbal reply to know he felt the same, but she got one anyway.

"I love you too, Now, don't disobey the man you love and come get ready for bed."

"Ok, alright," she finally agreed as he began to physically lead her out of the room by her hand and into their bedroom straight across the hall. Once they were inside with the door closed behind them, he flicked on the light switch, illuminating the room with a faint, red glow, courtesy of the colored light bulbs he'd replaced the normal ones with in attempt to set the scene since burning candles was now forbidden with the use of oxygen in their home. From his iphone, soft new-age music played in the background which caused Nicole to chuckle since neither one was really a fan of that musical genre.

"Whoa, what is going on here," Nicole inquired with enthused interest as she soaked in the details of her surroundings which included, in addition to the lighting and music, a freshly made bed with several massage oils lined up on the bedside table.

"Welcome madame to your relaxation retreat," he replied in his latest, slightly more successful attempt at a swedish accent than she'd remembered in the past. "Your husband has arranged for an evening of pampering with the hope that you will enjoy a most restful sleep this evening."

"Well, thank you, what's-your-name, this looks great," she said as she immediately headed toward the bed prepared to sprawl out on her back.

"My name is Sven, madame, and I am afraid your massage will have to wait. That will be phase two of the relaxation process. Here is a robe for you to change into while I go and draw your bath."

"Oooh, a bubble bath," she remarked seductively as she slithered up to him and began to tug the cloth of his shirt. "So, tell me Sven, are you part of the package? Will you be available to help me wash my back and all those other parts which are very, very hard to reach?"

EJ's face began to flush. "As per your husband's instructions, madame, I am here to fulfill your heart's desire."

"Just my heart's desire, or can that be extended to other body parts as well?"

"I assured him your satisfaction is guaranteed. It is my pleasure to serve you as you see fit."

"I see," she replied, as she mentally disrobed him while her eyes surveyed every inch of his well-toned body. "Let's start with that bath, shall we?"

"Yes, madame."

She giggled as he scurried off to the bathroom, leaving her behind to remove her clothing and slip on the bathrobe per his instruction. The Swedish masseuse was one of her all-time favorite partners, even though EJ's initial introduction of the character had been intended for massage purposes only.

The bubble bath was heavenly, and just what the doctor...or in this case, EJ, ordered. She sipped the steaming cup of chamomile tea presented to her while 'Sven' alternated between washing her back and massaging her feet...and everywhere else she informed him needed his attention.

By the time she laid face-down, clad in only a towel, on the 'massage table,' she felt ready for bed even before Sven began to work his magic. The only thing keeping her from falling asleep was knowing his erotic touch would only continue while she was awake and after nearly three months of practically zero sexual activity, she wasn't about to pass this one up. After she was convinced he'd worked every little kink out of every single muscle, he informed her it was time for phase three, the best of them all.

He instructed her to close her eyes and lie still in the position most comfortable for her. With her head propped up on a pillow and her arms thrown slightly curved above her head, he began kissing her passionately on her mouth. Instinctively, she threw her arms around his neck but he was quick to remove them and return them gently to their original starting position. "No, madame. Tonight is all about you. You must lay back and relax and leave the work up to me."

"Yes, sir," she replied breathlessly, her excitement already nearing it's peak after only one kiss.

His lips met hers once again and though she'd initially begged for him not to stop once they parted, her protests immediately ceased once they found their way to her neck. Once he was busy covering the latest area of interest with kisses, his hands worked to free her body from the towel so that he could proceed his jouney downward, obstacle-free.

When he made it down as far as her stomach, she was finding it nearly impossible to stifle the moans of pleasure she'd successfully been able to surpress for the most part until now. It wasn't that her stomach was one of the erogenous hot spots...it was the anticipation of where he was going next.

By the time he completed his downward journey, she wanted him with a hunger she never experienced before and by this time he was both mentally and physically ready to fulfill her needs. He let her lead the way, and just like the personality changes she'd noticed in herself, the same could be said about her lovemaking. It wasn't that she was better than before, but she had approached him with a new eagerness and confidence in her ability to please him that he had never before seen. The entire evening had been an amazingly euphoric experience for both of them and after the three, blissful hours, they finally fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.

Across the street, Kristen smirked as she put away the binoculars and drew the shade. Although she had only only witnessed a couple of seconds of EJ and Nicole's nauseating bedroom antics here and there, she had certainly seen enough for the evening.

"Hope you had your fun tonight, kiddos," she quipped, still staring out the window in the direction of their house. "Better enjoy each other while you still can. It'll all be over soon."


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Next Day

Umina

Natalie returned home from her first day back at work and couldn't help but notice the attractive, blonde-haired woman entering the side door of the home next to hers which had stood vacant for quite some time. Ecstatic this might mean they were finally getting another new neighbor, she flew in the door to share her observation with her husband.

"Hi honey, I'm home," she chirped, dropping her enormous work bag just inside the front door, then proceeded to collapse onto her back on the sofa where her husband sat, letting her head fall right into his lap.

"Long day at the office," Jeff replied with a grin and a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, an extremely long day and an even longer night in store, I'm afraid. They want to begin coverage on this story tomorrow so I've got to do my homework. But enough about me. How was your day?"

Jeff shook his head. "Just another day of custody battle hell. This guy thinks just because he's a billionaire he should have custody of the child regardless of the fact that he would beat the girl's mother to a pulp on a weekly basis."

"Lovely," Natalie replied, crinkling her nose to make it clear it was anything but. "On a lighter note, did you happen to notice there is a lady in the house next door?"

"Yes, I did but don't get too excited, Nat. I spoke with her briefly and she informed me they were there to get estimates on some renovation work. I guess the seller is getting desperate to just get it sold already."

"Bummer."

"So, come on, tell me. What's your comeback story going to be?"

"Well, they want me to cover some adoption agency that's under investigation. They've were caught furnishing false documents and now the company and it's employees have vanished into thin air. Tell me that doesn't have black market babies written all over it."

"Oh, Jesus Nat, you better be careful. Remember what happened to that one American journalist? I think she was investigating something similar. What did they do, bomb her car or something?"

"Yeah, Paul and I were just discussing that today. That was terrible."

"Oh god, what was her name? That's going to bother me now."

Natalie hopped up off the couch and retrieved her cell from her purse, then rejoined her husband on the sofa, this time opting to cuddle up close in a sitting position while she began googling on her phone. "Let's see, let's try 'American journalist killed in car bombing."

Within a second after entering the desired information, the very first entry of the results provided the name they had both been trying to recall.

"A-ha, here we go," Jeff said while Natalie was already clicking on the link to the story. "American Journalist Nicole Walker Killed in London Explosion."

When the full-screen, color picture of the person in question appeared on her phone, Natalie thought for sure her heart was going to explode right out of her chest. One glance at her husband assured her that she wasn't the only one to realize the striking resemblance between this Nicole Walker and her good friend and neighbor, Sarah James.

"That's crazy," Jeff exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. "She looks just like-"

"Nicole," Natalie interjected in barely more than a whisper which was all she could manage while her brain was still busy processing this new discovery . "Oh my god, you remember we were just talking about this again. I told you when Ethan called to tell me she was having the baby, he'd called her Nicole."

"Oh Nat, come on, it's just coincidence. You don't really think it's her, do you?"

"What about all the other odd things we discussed? You agreed that something isn't right."

"Yeah, but you're talking ressurecting people from the dead. It's can't be her, even though I admit the resemblance is uncanny."

She didn't respond. Instead, she was already busy starting her new google search for Nicole Walker. The first couple pages of entries were much of the same information about her death and the investigation surrounding it. The first thing she came across to give her a more personal look into the woman was her obituary in an American newspaper called the Salem Spectator. There was a new photo of her this time which Natalie believed bared an even stronger likeness to Sarah than the last one She raised her phone to her husband's eye-level.

He took the phone from her to investigate the findings for himself. "Says here she was living with her partner Brady Black...she had a sister and a brother. No mention of any kids. Nat, come, on just let it go. Clearly they are not the same person. That little girl is Sarah's twin so if Sarah has three kids, then Nicole should too, right?"

"Well she wouldn't have three then," Natalie was quick to argue.

"She didn't even have two!"

Natalie regained possession of her phone and began a new search, Brady Black and Nicole Walker. Now she had pictures of the two together, a few different ones taken from some hospital charity event. One thing at least was for certain; Ethan James was not Brady Black.

New search. Nicole Walker, daughter, Salem Spectator. She was honestly expecting to get nothing relevant from the search. After all, Jeff was right that the whole thing sounded impossible, and according to the obituary it was already stated that Nicole Walker didn't leave any children behind, but she just couldn't get past the resemblance of Nicole to Sarah, and Sarah/Nicole to Belle. And Ethan had called her Nicole. She had remembered that clearly before all this talk about Nicole Walker had even come about. Maybe Jeff wasn't convinced Nicole and Sarah were the same person, but she was.

As it turned out, the first result to appear was all the evidence needed to finally get Jeff on board. She clicked on the link reading, "EJ DiMera and Nicole Walker Welcome Daughter Sydney DiMera," and screamed, thrusting her phonein Jeff's face with a shaky hand one more time. "Do you believe me now?"

"Good god," Jeff exclaimed, grabbing the phone from her once more. "That's Ethan!"

"Yeah, and do you believe me now that's Sarah?"

"What the hell is going on here? EJ DiMera? Why do I know that name?"

"Because DiMera is only like the name of the most infamous mob family in the world," Natalie replied breathlessly as her air intake couldn't seem to keep up with her racing heart. "And if I'm not mistaken, EJ DiMera was the one running things when he got killed."

New search: EJ DiMera. The first entry was from Wikipedia and outlined in great detail everything it was they needed to know about EJ and Nicole, or Sarah and Ethan as they'd been calling themselves. It described Nicole's loss of their first child which drove her to kidnapping EJ's other daughter to pass off as her own, Nicole's sentencing for the crime, their marriages and divorces, and the loss of a baby boy shortly after breaking their relationship off for good. It also explained the circumstances surrounding EJ's death and offered a brief blurb about Nicole's subsequent demise as well. The only questions it didn't answer was where Belle and Desmond came from. Granted nothing was as it seemed with this family, and both children did appear to bear a striking resemblance to each parent, but where were the children all this time and were they really their children or were they kidnapped from somebody else? Given the criminal history of EJ and Nicole both, her brain was telling her she should be leaning toward the latter. Her heart had a different opinion.

"I think we should inform the authorities," Jeff finally offered after a long period of careful, quiet consideration.

"I don't know about that. So, OK we know who they are and for whatever reason they want the world to think they're dead. But we don't know why. For all we know they could be in some kind of witness protection program."

"And if that's the case then no harm, no foul. They'd probably be relocated somewhere else which is fine with me. I don't want to put my family at risk by being acquainted with these people."

"Jeff, these are our friends, and what about little Sawyer? The last thing that baby needs is to be shuffled around for the next god knows how long, if that's even the case. Who knows, maybe they're not in witness protection per se but just wanted to get away from the family and criminal activities. If that's the case then we could be putting them in danger. Is that what you want?"

"Or, they could be planning our murder as we speak. My only concern is keeping MY family safe."

"They just seem so happy together, all of them," Natalie said shaking her head with a tormented smile. "And the baby..." her voice trailed off as she suddenly recalled the incident between Belle and Emma just a few days ago. "Oh my god."

"What? What is it," Jeff leaned in with alarmed curiosity.

"The fight between the girls. Belle must have gotten upset because I'll bet you anything Ethan is not the baby's father and she figured it out. Remember, Nicole was supposedly involved with this Brady person when she died."

"So, essentially, Nicole is up to kidnapping again, keeping a baby from his father."

"We don't know that this Brady guy doesn't know what's going on. That is purely speculation!"

"Speculation based on some pretty damning facts. I'm calling the authorities. Now."

He grabbed his phone and started to dial as Natalie stood there watching helplessly. She wanted to stop him but there was just something telling her that despite her difference in opinion, it was the right thing to do. After all was said and done, the call seemed to be harmless enough anyway. The best response they managed to get was that they would pass the information on to a higher authority since something like this would be out of local jurisdiction. Neither could have known at that time that the phone call would save the three, innocent children from being whisked away by the wicked Kristen DiMera.  



	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Next Day

Umina

Nicole decended the stairs to find EJ in the living room doing his pre-morning-run stretches. With the kids off to school and Sawyer put down for a nap following his morning feeding, she was ready to fill EJ's head with several suggestions as to how they could spend their couple hours of free time. For starters, she had a long list of things that needed fixing around the house which would require the immediate attention of a well-rounded repairman, including a very squeaky mattress.

"Honey, that bathroom faucet is leaking again," Nicole said with a pout as she leaned against the arm of the sofa, watching him intently as he finished up his final lunge.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry I forgot all about it. I'll call someone as soon as I get back."

"Actually," she said as she slithered up closely to him. "I found the name of a guy in the phonebook who sounds like he's rock soild at that type of work."

EJ knew in an instant by her seductive tone and flirtatious manner where this was leading. He couldn't surpress his exhilirated grin. "Ah, I see. And what is this person's name?"

"Dick Pounder. I thought I'd give him a call and maybe that way he could," she paused briefly for extra emphasis on her next word, "come...and go before you even get home."

"Sounds like a plan," he replied, still grinning from ear to ear as he leaned in to kiss her. "And I say, how about after he goes we start making plans for our vow renewal ceremony."

"Oh EJ," she gasped in delight, throwing her arms around his neck in excitement in response to his proposal. Yes, yes that sounds wonderful! Oh Belle and Dez will be so happy!"

"Well, they're not the only ones you know. I can't think of anything that would make me happier."

"Me neither," she said as they shared a brief, mutually enraptured gaze into each other's eyes before EJ broke the silence.

"OK, I'm going to go so I can just get back, because the sooner I get back," he grinned impishly as he began to seductively undo the top few buttons of her blouse, "the sooner we can get down to business."

"I'll be waiting."

He stepped backwards out the front door, undressing her with his eyes every step of the way until she was out of sight. She closed the door and let out a quiet shriek of delight before scurrying out to the kitchen to make a cup of tea to sip as she surfed the net on her tablet in search of the perfect venue for the ceremony. She was in the midst of jotting down notes on a piece of paper when she heard the floorboards squeaking above her head. She began to chuckle quietly out loud. EJ must have decided to end his run early so that Dick Pounder could make his house call. She was waiting for the doorbell to ring any minute. Instead, she was alerted by a different, more alarming sound. Sawyer's breathing monitor was going off.

They had learned through experience it wasn't necessarily something to panic over. For the most part, the alarm was triggered by dislocated sensors rather than the baby failing to breathe, but of course there had also been more than enough instances where it was not merely a false alarm, and just last night had been one of those. Sawyer had indeed stopped breathing but luckily this time, like most of his other episodes, he had begun to breathe again without them having to administer CPR. Nicole still flew up the stairs as quickly as she could without stopping to consider the possible cause.

"EJ, are you up here," she shouted as she took the last two steps in one leap. Silence. Maybe the noise she heard had only been the kids' puppy Pascal playing with one of his toys. "It's alright sweetie, mommy's coming," she announced in her most reassuring voice since she was well aware the actual words were meaningless at this point. She pushed open the cracked door to the nursery all the way and felt her heart beginning to pound as she neared the crib. She couldn't see Sawyer at first, but convinced herself it was merely because he had positioned himself in a spot where the rails obscured her view of him. Once she was standing over it and looking clear down onto the vacant mattress where the stray wires of the breathing monitor lay in a tangled web with no baby attached to it, she screamed.

"EJ? Where are you?" It had to be him. Had to. Oh please, dear god, it has to be him.

"Hi Sissy."

Nicole instantly felt her body start to convulse in fear. There was no mistaking the voice. She had to hold onto the crib for stability as she turned around and found herself face to face with Kristen. In her arms was Sawyer who was beginning to grow irritable and was without his oxygen.

"Kristen" Nicole spoke as calmly as she could manage, terrified of making the slightest wrong move. "The baby needs oxygen. It's right over there. You can get it and give it to him."

"I know," Kristen replied, shrugging indifferently. "I just wanted to make sure I have your full attention and cooperation first." As if on cue, two of your typical, burly DiMera goons appeared in the doorway bearing muscle.

"OK, OK...you got it, please," Nicole said growing hysterical. "Don't hurt my son."

"Awww, it would be a tragedy," Kristen said regretfully as she began to rock Sawyer in her arms. "He's a beautiful little boy, with those big, gorgeous blue eyes. I know you've got them too but I have to say this little one looks more like his daddy, don't you think?"

"Kristen, please." The two goons were now behind her, each one grabbing a hold of one of her arms.

"You know, when I left Salem I regretted not bringing something with me to remember Brady by. I thought it might be nice to have, oh I don't know, a coat, or one of his sweaters to keep me warm at night. But I think a baby would do the trick."

Nicole could suddenly feel the initial fear she'd felt begin to simmer into anger. "You get your disgusting claws off my son!" The sudden rage in her tone cause the men to tighten their grip on her.

"You're in no position to be giving orders here, sissy. As much as I'd love to raise this precious little boy, it's my niece and nephew that I want and, if I don't get them, I'm going to be very, very upset with you, and you realy don't want to make me upset. I have been known to do some pretty cruel and heartless things to those who defy me. I'd sure hate for you to have to sit and watch helplessly as your little boy takes his last breath."

"You crazy, fucking bitch!"

"You better change your tone with me, Nicole. Time is ticking away and this one seems like he's a little out-of-breath."

"OK, ok I'm sorry. I'm cooperating."

"Good," Kristen said, smiling triumphantly as she returned the oxygen tubing to Sawyer's nose and kissed him on the top of his head. "Now, let's get you both out of here before Eeeej gets home. I've made arrangements for us all to have a special little get-together later this evening."

Nicole felt her knees buckling as the two guys forced her down the stairs following behind Kristen who was still carrying the baby in her arms. Once outside, they hustled her into the windowless back of the cable company van while Kristen took to the completely segregated front cab of the vehicle with Sawyer where a faceless driver and an unseen woman Kristen hired to be the baby's nurse waited inside. Just moments later, she joined Nicole and the two men in the back of the van which apparently was the driver's cue to start moving.

"What are you going to do to us," Nicole begged to know, squirming beneath the powerful bear-hug grip one of the men had opted to use as his method of restraint.

"I thought you'd never ask," Kristen responded gleefully with a malevolent smile that was in sharp contrast to the pleasant tone of her voice. Of course I don't want to spill everything at once, but I will tell you what our next move is going to be."

"OUR next move," Nicole inquired with emphasis on the first word.

"Oh, this is going to be one of my favorite moments," Kristen gushed like a teenage girl at a One Direction concert. "Either this, or convincing Brady to shoot EJ for kidnapping you."

Nicole felt the muscles in her throat seizing up. "Kristen, no..."

"You're right. Making you hand-deliver your children to me might be the winner."

Nicole's arms instinctively sought to strangle Kristen. Instead, the greasy dude restraining her only tightened his grip making her more immobile than before. "Never! Over my dead body!"

"Do you really want to tempt me with that kind of offer? That can be arranged."

"I don't care what happens to me, but I am not going to let you touch my kids!"

"Nicole, let's be real. I'm going to get them regardless so, you can either go into their school and calmly sign them out, or I can send these guys in to just grab them. Put your kids first for once and think about which would be less traumatic."

"Less traumatic than their mother handing them over to a psychopath?"

Oh, I see. You don't want to remember the looks on their innocent little faces when they realize mommy doesn't love them after all." She shook her head disapprovingly, mustering up all the insincere pity she could manage. "That would be a really tough moment for all but, honestly, it may not be as bad as you think considering none of you are going to remember any of this. In fact, by the time I'm done with you, and Antonietta and Alexander, you won't even remember they existed, and they won't remember you, or EJ. Say hello to my little friend." With that, she withdrew a vial full of a clear substance from her coat pocket and waved it before Nicole's face.

"I won't do it! I'm not handing my kids over to you."

"Suit yourself," she said with an evil grin as she pulled out her cell phone and tapped the screen before holding it to her ear. "Take the baby off oxygen. Looks like I'm going to have to cut my losses on this one."

"Noooo," Nicole wailed desperately with tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. Outside, EJ looked curiously at the van that just passed him on the street. Even with the combined noise of passing traffic and the music coming from his earphones, he could have sworn he heard a woman scream.

Back inside the van, Kristen began giving orders to her men, ignoring Nicole's cries and pleas for mercy. "Alright, so our best bet at grabbing the kids is to bomb the school. It'll cause a panic and give us our best shot at grabbing the kids undetected. I just hope they're not in the way when that thing goes off."

"No, please, don't hurt my babies!"

"You can't have it all your way, Nicole. But, if you do everything exactly as I say, I promise you those kids will not have a scratch on them. It's a fair compromise."

"There is nothing fair about this," Nicole seethed angrily through gritted teeth, barely successfully fighting the urge to spit in Kristen's face.

"You got that right, sweetheart. You can thank Stefano for your little predicament. If he'd left everything to it's rightful successor, we wouldn't have this little problem."

"Well you're right about that, cuz everything would have gone to EJ and he'd dethrone your crazy ass from everything, you sad little DiMera wannabe."

Kristen sneered at her disgust as she took the incoming call from her phone. "Yeah? Look, I don't care if the baby is turning blue, you've been given your orders. She's not cooperating."

"No, no, no please. Ok...Ok."

"Cancel that, Andria. I think someone's changing her tune. I think mommy's finally decided to pick the kiddies up from school."

Nicole took a deep breath and began to pray. If she ever needed her knight in shining armour to come rescue her, it was now.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Same Day

Umina

EJ returned home from his run and crept quietly inside. His intent was to sneak upstairs, shower, find a suitable disguise, then come knocking at the door ready to be at Nicole's service. When he managed to get in the front door undetected, he took to the stairs with slow, deliberate footing avoiding all the known creaky spots. Of course once he was in the shower Nicole would know he had returned home, but she was always a good sport when it came to their little games and would know he was simply sticking to the story. Dick Pounder was scheduled to make his appearance before EJ returned home.

Once upstairs, he tiptoed through the hall, careful not to wake the baby. As usual, he pre-prepped for his post-run shower by having a fresh towel handy so he was able to hop right in the shower without having to make any further stops. A quick rinse would do for now since he would undoubtedly be heading back for a second round, hopefully with Nicole joining him to make sure no spot was left unwashed. He covered his body in one coat of a thick, soapy lather, ran a dot of shampoo through his hair in record speed, then rinsed head and body all in one shot. He guess the entire process took about four minutes, tops. He grabbed his towel and performed an equally swift all-over body buff before wrapping the towel around his waist. He instinctively went right to the sink where he would typically perform the next part of his routine then, after a brief study of himself in the mirror, decided to skip this step for now. Nicole would appreciate the added ruggedness of his unshaven face.

He stepped carefully into the bedroom and dug out a well-worn pair of jeans, a plaid, flannel shirt, and a pair of boots, all of which he used solely for the purpose of doing yard work but the outfit would work quite well for this occasion as well. He took another peek in the mirror after donning the costume and couldn't help cracking a smile, partly inspired by the image before his eyes, but mostly a result of imagining the fun that was in store. He couldn't wait to get downstairs and let the games begin.

Kristen knew they couldn't exactly pull up in front of the school and have Nicole step out of the back of a cable-company van, so she had pre-arranged to have a car ready for Tony to drive Nicole to the school in. They made the switch on a quiet street and Nicole cooperated nicely every step of the way since her little boy was now strictly in her care. Of course she gave her some parting reminders what the consequences for disobeying her would be anyway just for good measure.

When they got to the school, Tony escorted Nicole inside to make sure she didn't try anything stupid. The plan was, she was to inform them her husband was in a terribe accident, which would help explain her clearly upset and shaken disposition, and Tony would play the part of her brother, Brandon. This way, he could step in and explain the situation if Nicole were to shut down, and it could also work in favor with the children when they questioned their mother about who he was. The kids may or may not have been told about their uncle Brandon but even if they had they most likely hadn't seen a picture of him. They would buy the story for the mere couple minutes it would be necessary at least.

When they stepped up to the secretary inside the office, Tony hit dial on his phone so Kristen could listen to the entire interaction for herself; another step Nicole had been forewarned would be taken. She felt her throat seizing again. She couldn't do it. The words just wouldn't come.

The secretary took one look at her and immediately hopped to her feet to scurry around the desk and be at her side. "Mrs. James? Are you alright?"

Nicole could feel Tony's intense stare upon her without having to look and she imagined Kristen listening on the other end of that phone with her son in her grip. She had to collect herself, and quick. She took several deep breaths, than began to explain. "My husband. He was in a terrible accident so I need to get my kids so I can take them to my sister."

"Oh, Mrs. James, I'm so sorry to hear that. Is he going to be alright?"

"I-I don't know."

The pretty, young secretary looked at her with nothing but sincere, heart-felt empathy. "Well I hope you know we all certainly hope for the best. Let me go get Belle and Desmond for you. I'll be right back."

Just a couple of minutes later, she returned to the office with Belle and Desmond in tow. It only took one look at her mother for Belle's smile to instantly disappear from her face. She immediately knew something was very wrong.

Nicole sank to her knees and hugged them both tight. For a brief moment she imagined remaining right there and refusing to leave or to let go of them, but then she remembered Sawyer left behind helplessly in Kristen's evil clutches. She was given no choice but to rely on the faith that EJ would come to their rescue, at least at this point. Of course she would never stop looking for that window of opportunity where she could manage to turn the tables herself, but now was not one of those times.

"Sarah, come on we have to get moving."

Nicole nodded and obediently rose to her feet, picking up Desmond in her arms along the way.

"What's wrong mommy? Why are you crying," her little boy asked sweetly with wide eyes full of concern.

"I'll explain in a minute, angel, ok," she responded reassuringly with a kiss to his forehead.

Belle was very interested in the man escorting them down the walk outside. "Who are you," she asked as she scurried in front of him and began walking backwards so that she was facing him for his response.

"I'm your uncle Brandon."

"No he's not," Nicole was quick to jump in and dismiss him. "Sweetie, he is not your uncle Brandon. He works for your aunt Kristen and he's taking us to go see her."

"Aunt Kristen," Belle repeated in the form of a question, looking at her mother with disbelief.

"Nicole, watch what you say," Tony warned intimidatingly, as his hand slipped inside his coat and withdrew a gun which he dug into the small of her back as he followed close behind.

Belle saw the gun and gasped, which was precisely the reaction Nicole was aiming for where both Tony and her daughter were concerned. Although she hated to subject her daughter to the terrifying gesture, it relayed the necessary message that her actions while under Kristen's supervision were not at will.

"Sweetie, it's going to be alright. Mommy is not going to let anything bad happen to you, or your brothers, or Daddy. I promise. Do you trust mommy?"

Belle nodded bravely and hugged her mother's waist, sobbing quietly the rest of the way to the car. She thought briefly about stomping on the mean man's feet and kicking him in the shins so she could run to get help for her mom and brothers, but then she remembered how just last week the two nice policemen had come to their school and told her and her classmates how dangerous guns were and how bad people used them to hurt people, sometimes killing them. She didn't want to make the mean man mad enough to do something bad to her mommy.

All were quiet on the short car trip back to the van. Nicole was preoccupied trying to come up with some plan to get Sawyer away from Kristen so that she and the kids would be able to make an escape. She refused to listen to the nagging voice reminding her they were grossly outnumbered. She may not succeed, but she could never give up trying.

The rear doors of the van flew open while Tony was in the process of forcing them all out of the car at gun point. In less than a minute, he was able to force Nicole and the kids inside before hopping in himself and pulling the door closed behind him.

They found Kristen waiting for them inside. The sight of the children brought instant tears to her eyes and Nicole couldn't help but wonder exactly what brought on that rare display of emotion. She imagined Kristen was thinking of the day where she cashed in her kids lives' in return for a hefty paycheck.

"My god, I thought I'd never see you again," Kristen said dropping to her knees and extending her arms wide open. "Come here and give your Aunt Kristen a hug, my precious little angels."

EJ stepped outside the door, then rang the doorbell. When she didn't answer right away he assumed maybe she was attending to the baby, but if that were the case, he would have passed her along the way. She certainly hadn't been upstairs when he was because he would have heard her. Of course she could also be in the bathroom, which perhaps was the better explanation. He decided to ring the doorbell once more and wait it out.

After another minute passed, he gave up and went inside to investigate the cause of the delay. "Nicole," he called out with enough force that he could be heard regardless of where she was in their home but he was met with no response. He peeked into the kitchen and spotted an almost full cup of tea sitting at her usual seat at the table, but no sign of her. "Nikki?"

Again, no answer. He decided to extend his search to the upper level of their home and popped his head into the first doorway he passed, Desmond's room. Empty. Across the hall on the left was Belle's room. Empty again with the exception of Pascal who was seeping in his favorite spot on the foot of Belle's bed. Next up was the upstairs bathroom. Empty. The next door on the right was their bedroom. Empty. There was only one other place she could be, and that had to be the nursery right across the hall. Sawyer had probably woken up demanding another feeding and she probably ended up drifting off to sleep in the glider with the baby in her arms as she'd been known to do from time to time, but when he peeked inside and saw an empty chair and an empty crib, he began to panic. Something must have happened to the baby.

He glanced down at his phone but saw that she had not tried to call which was unlike her. If something had indeed happened, she would have called immediately after seeking help from emergency services first. He tried ringing her cell, and he could immediately hear it ringing downstairs. Maybe she was just so panicked that she'd left her cell behind and was unable to call right away. The car was still in the driveway so she must have gone with the ambulance to the hospital. It was really the only explanation he could come up with.

He began to dial the hospital to inquire if Sawyer had been brought in when he noticed something peculiar in the baby's crib out of the corner of his eye. A big, blue plush teddy bear he had never seen before was sitting right in the center. Between the bear's extended arms sat a white envelope bearing the word "Eeej" in large, familiar-looking handwriting. He felt his legs turning to rubber as his violently shaking hand reached for the envelope and tore it away to reveal the notecard inside, which read:

_Eeej-_

_Sorry I missed you! Hope you don't mind me stealing Nicole and the kids away for the day! We have so much catching up to do! I'll be in touch and let you know where you can meet up with us later. Can't wait to see you, little brother!_

_Love, Kristen_

"Nicoooole," he screamed as he raced out of the room and down the stairs, his strength and stamina being fuelled by nothing but pure adrenaline at this point. He couldn't allow himself to be hindered by the dread and fear he was feeling on the inside. He knew Nicole's life was now in his hands. He got in the car and started to drive, the children's school being his first destination in mind.

The children for the most part would be safe. They would be frightened and traumatized for sure but Kristen would not do anything to hurt them, at least not for several years. Nicole however posed an immediate threat and was completely useless to Kristen once she got what she needed, and if Kristen already had possession of the children as implied by her note, Nicole was as good as dead if she made one wrong move. He needed to know exactly what he was dealing with.

The secretary at the school seemed surprised to see him and went on to explain her reaction before he even got a chance to make his own inquiry about the children. "Sarah" and her brother had just been there and signed the chldren out after explaning he'd been in a horrible accident. When she could offer no more information, such as a description of the vehicle they might have been driving, EJ flew from the scene to avoid wasting another minute and moved onto the next phase of his search.

He cursed himself for being so foolish. He should have done more to keep them all safe. He had opted not to take on a staff of minions with the belief that anyone he could hire to perform such tasks would likely already be tied to either the DiMera or Kiriakis families in some way. It would probably turn out to be true, but he could have at least tried. It was better than doing nothing. If something happened to Nicole, he had only himself to blame.

Since he didn't even have a clue where to begin looking, he found himself driving in circles, although he was sure whatever vehicle they might be in was already speeding to some secluded location far away. As his mind tried to conjure up the type of vehicle required to transport such a large group, he recalled the strange occurence with the cable company van this morning. He thought he had heard a woman scream and for a second he had even entertained it almost sounded like Nicole.

"Son of a BITCH," he screamed, punching the steering wheel as his foot beared down on the accelerator. He had to find that van. Fast.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Sydney

Same Day

Brady sneaked into a utility closet of the hotel he and Kristen had been staying at a couple of floors below the level their room was on with a borrowed cell phone in hand. Actually, it was more like a rented cell phone since he'd paid the teenage girl a hundred dollars to let him use it for just five minutes. It was all the time he needed to tell the ISA something was definitely about to go down and they needed to get there ASAP. He bobbed up and down in place as he waited impatiently for an answer and began to wonder if his call wasn't being answered because the number was not recogized.

"Bo Brady," the voice finally came through on the other end.

"Bo, thank god, man. It's Brady."

"Brady! Where the hell have you been and what the hell is going on down there? Talk to me."

"I don't know, Kristen's onto something, man," he said groggily into the receiver. "And whatever it is she's going out of her way to keep me at a distance. I think she's been drugging me, and when I actually am awake I'm being watched like a hawk. I think whoever sent her those photos has finally clued her in on where Nicole and EJ are."

"Yeah, I know. Any idea where she is right now?"

"Supposedly at some business meeting here in Sydney, but I haven't seen or heard from her since, oh, about six AM or so."

"Alright, man, do me a favor. I need to know where you are staying, what she's driving to get around, and I need you to figure out a way to call me as soon as she makes an appearance back at the hotel. I'm sending a team there, including myself, to watch her. I just want to make sure she doesn't manage to slip in and out without someone seeing. We already have a team at the airport keeping an eye on the jet."

"Wait a second. You're here already?"

"Yep. We arrived this morning. Your dad, Shane, Steve, even Rafe got himself in on it." There was a brief, unnerving pause before Bo began to continue. "We know where they've been living, Brady."

"What?"

"Nicole and EJ. We know everything, their assumed names, where they live-"

"That's...that's great! Oh my God!" Brady could hardly believe his ears. Finally, they knew where Nicole was and they could just go get her and bring her home where she belonged, with him. All those pictures of her and EJ smiling, walking hand in hand, kissing...they had to be nothing but a cover. It was simply her playing along with EJ's sick games until he could figure out where she is and come to her rescue. That's the story he kept telling himself anyway, over and over again until he could convince himself it had to be true. He had not yet achieve the desired result.

"Yeah, only problem is, so does Kristen. We know she was at their home at some point by some evidence we found there and there's no sign of them anywhere. We know she at least has Nicole, probably EJ too by now."

"What the hell is going on, man? Is anyone ever going to fill me in on the whole story here? What the hell could she possibly want from Nicole?"

"There's no time to explain. Listen, just keep playing it as usual with Kristen. And call me as soon as she gets to the hotel."

Bo ended the call abruptly leaving Brady dangling on the other end speechless. What the hell was Kristen up to?

The cable company van pulled into the long, gravel driveway leading up to a secluded, run down farm house, located out in the boonies somewhere about halfway between Umina and Sydney. Kristen couldn't deny her men had done an outstanding job locating and staging the home where EJ would be accused of holding Nicole captive after she got her own, private tour of the venue the previous day. Now, it was finally time to bring Nicole 'home.'

She had to have her men tie her up on the way there. She couldn't even hug her niece or nephew without Nicole trying to claw her eyes out and her men were growing tired of dealing with her. When the van was finally parked right outside the side door leading into the house, Tony decided it would be much easier to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder and carry her inside while she was still bound rather than try to get her to cooperate. The children on the other hand followed behind obediently as instructed with Belle comforting her frightened little brother in her arms as they walked while he wailed away. Nicole talked them through it every step of the way inside the house and down the long set of stairs to the basement, constantly reassuring them everything would be alright although in reality, their future was looking more and more bleak with each passing minute.

Once Tony reached the center of the large, open floorplan basement, He tossed Nicole from his shoulder to the hard, concrete floor. She landed o her shoulder, sending an electric bolt of pain coursing through her upper body, accompanied by an audible snapping sound. Although she had been struggling to keep her composure for Belle and Desmond's sake, there was no stopping the scream that managed to escape as a result of her undoubtedly broken arm.

"Uh-Oh, Tony. Did that sound like a bone breaking to you?"

Tony nodded his head and chuckled wickedly, clearly pleased with himself and the job he was doing for his employer. "Like snapping a handful of twigs in two."

"Poor Nicole. She had to suffer through months of this kind of abuse from EJ, you know. Bruises, broken bones. EJ having his way with her. That should be enough to convince Brady to put a bullet in Eeej's head, don't you think?"

"Kristen, please," Nicole began to beg as she struggled to sit upright. "Don't do this in front of the kids. They don't need to know every detail of your twisted little scheme."

"You're right," Kristen said as she approached her dragging something behind her. Before Nicole could even evaluate what it was, Kristen had secured a shackle which was attached to the end of a long length of chain around her ankle and secured it on tight with a tiny padlock.

"What the-"

Everything was happening so fast Nicole could hardly keep up. After the shackle was in place Tony had taken a knife and sliced through the ropes binding her wrists and ankles together. With the sudden release of tension in her arms, an all new shockwave of pain shot through her left, upper arm as it fell to her side, causing her to bite down on her lip to stifle another scream.

"That shackle will allow you to move about the basement freely, but don't go exerting yourself now. The chain isn't long enough to get you anywhere near an exit. There's one way in and one way out and Tony and the other guys will be standing guard, so don't have our kids try anything stupid either. I'm going to give the three of you some time to say your goodbyes while I go check on my band new baby boy."

"Mommy, what does she mean," Belle inquired wide-eyed.

Kristen elected to answer for her. "Your mommy is going to stay here while you and your brothers go back to Italy with me where you belong. We're leaving tonight."

"No! I'm not going anywhere with you," Belle lashed out at her as she ran to Nicole's beckoning embrace, being careful to avoid the arm she could tell her mother was favoring.

"We'll just see about that," Kristen responded coldly before turning on her heels and rushing up the stairs.

"Has mommy told you how much she loves you lately," Nicole cooed soothingly in her daughter's ear, struggling with every ounce of her being to keep from breaking down in tears.

"Yes," Belle responded softly, with her head resting on Nicole's good shoulder. "You tell us every day, mommy."

"How about you, my little man," she asked Desmond, coaxing him to join them by the wave of her hand into a three-way hug.

"You told us before we got out of the car at school."

"You two, and your brother, and your daddy...you guys are my everything. I love you so much."

"We love you too, mommy," Belle spoke up on behalf of herself and Desmond. "I don't want to leave you."

"I know, princess, but for now it looks like your Aunt Kristen might get her way. I need for you and your brother to be very, very brave until your daddy and I can figure out how to bring you back home with us. I promise you, your daddy and I will never stop fighting for you. Do you believe mommy?"

As Belle was nodding and hugging her mother tight, Tony approached her from behind and tore her straight from Nicole's embrace while another unnamed minion scooped up Demond. The two men swiftly carried the two sobbing children up the stairs, denying Nicole the opportunity to say a proper, what might be final, goodbye.

She knew EJ would be looking for them and, according to Kristen, would be brought to her current location at some point as part of the setup. Maybe he would be able to figure out something then, if he wasn't already planning their escape now, but she couldn't rely on it. She had to do whatever she could do within her own power to stop Kristen, even if it cost her her life. Now that she was left in the room with Kristen, alone, she took a deep breath for courage and did exactly what she promised her kids she would do: she was going to rip Kristen to shreds.

As Kristen took joy in explaining her hired nurse Andria was currently in the process of administering the memory-erasing drug mixed with a tranquilizer to each one of her kids at that very moment, it only added fuel to Nicole's already blazing fire. She waited patiently for that one moment for Kristen to turn her back, and then she pounced. Kristen was now pinned to the floor on her back with Nicole kneeling on top of her chest, leaning forcefully into the forearm pressed into Kristen's neck. Maybe, just maybe if she killed the bitch the entire operation would just go up in smoke.

She wanted to scream a thousand obscenities at her but instead, she kept quiet aside from the occasional grunting sounds brought on by either pain or physical exertion in effort to keep her sneak attack under wraps until she had successfully completed her mission. It didn't take long for Kristen to turn the tables however when she grabbed a hold of Nicole's injured arm and yanked, causing Nicole to scream and allow herself to be subdued by Kristen who was now assuming her former position. Nicole clawed and grabbed for anything she could manage to get her hands on in effort to fight her off. She managed to scratch Kristen's face up pretty good, then sought to grab the brass ring: the big, ol' gold hoop earring dangling from Kristen's ear. She grasped it in her hand tightly and pulled, creating a tear clear through her ear. As Kristen began to wail like the wounded animal she was, Nicole managed to get back on top and resume choking her. She hadn't noticed Tony had sneaked up behind her, and the blow he administered to the back of her head with the metal pipe was forceful enough to render her immediately unconscious before she could even feel he impact.

"Fucking bitch," Kristen seethed as she stammered to her feet, wiping blood from her face with the back of her hand. "Well at least we got that part of the job out of the way. Where's the needle?"

"Right here," Tony replied as he withdrew the hypodermic needle loaded with the same cocktail of drugs they'd just adminstered to the children only this time in a much stronger dose.

Kristen grabbed it from his hands roughly, flicked off the cap with her thumbtip, then knelt down beside Nicole, stabbing the needle violently into the back of her neck. "Nice knowing you, Nicole. Maybe when I come back to Salem to visit, we can start over and be friends. Maybe I'll even let you babysit my son somtime."

Tony was chuckling malevolently. "You're pretty twisted, boss lady. You wanna let me do my part now? I'll be more than happy to make it authentically look like EJ just had his way with her."

"Eeew, don't be a pig," Kristen sneered at him as she smacked his arm. "That's disgusting. Besides, we don't have time. Just dishevel her clothes a bit and we're done here. It's time to invite Eeej and Brady over to our little gathering."


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Same Day

EJ pulled the family SUV off to the side of the road and put it in park. He'd been driving around for hours and had managed to spot only two vans bearing the name of the local cable company, both which were being used for legitimate company business which he discovered upon investigation. Of course the whole search could very well be pointless to begin with since he had no proof that Nicole was in that van, or that there was any connection at all to the woman's scream and Nicole. It was just a gut feeling, but even now as he began to question his own judgment, it was one that was sticking with him. It was her. Both the timing and location were spot-on.

If he had been able to live like EJ DiMera, he could have had a few dozen men actively searching for her by now. Then again, if he had been able to live like EJ DiMera, this never would have happened in the first place. He would have a security staff at their home at all times, a bodyguard per each of them, and a few dozen more men keeping a very close eye on all of his known enemies at all times. But they couldn't live that way now, he knew that. He had done the right thing, the smart thing. It was safer for them to live a simple, low-profile existence than to rub elbows with the likes of the rich and famous and those that worked for them. If he had done any of this, they would have been found in days, hours even, rather than months. It was little consolation now. Apparently, he hadn't been smart enough.

He wasn't thinking logically now either which could be a very dangerous thing. What did he think was going to happen if he had managed to track them down, that he would be able to waltz right into whatever situation and just whisk Nicole and the children back to safety all by his lonesome while Kristen likely had an army of armed men surrounding them, her, and probably himself? With that last thought crossing his mind, EJ glanced up to check the rearview mirror. Sure enough, parked right behind him about five houses back was a silver car where at least two men sat peering straight ahead in his direction. They undoubtedly worked for Kristen and were just waiting for him to make one, wrong move and that would be the end of him. He was going to need some help and for the first time in his life, he took out his phone and started dialing a number he never imagined he'd call willingly in his life: the ISA.

"This is going to be good," he said aloud to himself, shaking his head in doubt as he imagined how the conversation would go. It was going to take an hour alone before he could manage to convince someone he was indeed EJ DiMera, and by the time he could convince them it was true and advise them of the situation, it would be too late. But he had to do something. The only truly dumb move he could make would be to not do something because it seemed stupid or impossible.

"ISA," the female operator's voice came through the earpiece.

"Yes, I need you to put me in contact with Shane Donovan, immediately!"

"Agent Donovan is on assignment right now-"

"How about Steve Johnson, Bo Brady, John Black...I need to report a crime involving the DiMera family. Please, it is urgent. The lives of innocent children are at stake. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I am EJ DiMera, and my wi-...Nicole Walker and our two children have been kidnapped by Kristen DiMera. She's going-"

"Sir," the woman interrupted loudly, "I'm going to transfer you."

"NO," EJ shouted back in protest, but it was already too late. The phone went silent for a second before beginning to ring whatever department he was being transferred to. The last thing he needed was to have to start all over from the beginning.

While he was waiting for whomever to answer, he received an incoming call coming from what he recognized as an Italian phone number. Kristen. He ended to the call to the ISA and quickly answered.

"Eeeej! Is that you?"

"KRISTEN! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY FAMILY," he screamed into the phone with wild desperation.

"Oh, come on now! We haven't seen each other in almost eight months, and this is the greeting I get?"

"Kristen," he began, speaking more calmly for her liking. "What have you done with Nicole and the children?"

"Why don't you see for yourself. Check your text messages."

His fingers trembled as he sought to retrieve whatever information was there. He found four photographs. In the first one, it showed Nicole, Belle, and Desmond all huddled together looking frightened with Kristin smiling and waving behind them. In the next one, Kristen was holding a sleeping Sawyer in her arms. The third picture showed Belle and Desmond what he hoped was just sleeping peacefully. The last photo however sucked every bit of air from his lungs and caused his heart to come to a screeching halt. It was a full-body shot of Nicole lying on the ground of some undisclosed location, eyes closed, with a pool of blood around her head.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Oh, Eeej don't be so dramatic. She's still alive. Last I checked anyway but you probably want to get there ASAP. That looks like an awful lot of blood."

"WHERE? WHERE IS SHE?"

"Hang on, haaaang on I'm sending you the address now, just in case you get seperated from your escorts. You probably should write this down though. Angelo and David are going to be there in a minute to confiscate your phone and give you something you're going to need, so don't go anywhere yet. As soon as you get it though, come on over! I'll be glad to see you!"

He glanced in the rearview mirror. Sure enough the two goons who'd been sitting in the parked car behind him were now approaching him on foot. The phone went dead. Kristen was gone.

The taller, better built one of the two started to tap on his window. "Hey, you got that address all written down yet, buddy? Let me check it there."

EJ looked at him with disgust and flashed him the address he just jotted down on the back of an envelope he had intended to mail later that day.

"Looks good. Now hand over your phone and get out of the car. Gotta make sure you're not toting around any surprises or uninvited guests in here."

EJ forcefully threw his phone at the curb, causing it to splinter into several pieces of assorted shapesd and sizes, then stepped aside. The last thing he needed was for them to see was that he'd tried to contact the ISA, even if he was unsuccessful. For once his car was free from anything even remotely dangerous. He used it to drive his family around, that was it. Of course he almost always had a gun with him but it was usually somewhere immediately on him where he could protect the children from it. Currently it was tucked inside his pants on his right hip, concealed by his jacket.

"Car looks good. Now it's time for you," The shorter, stocky guy informed him as he began to pat him down. To his amazement, the guy took his gun, did a brief inspection looking for god only knows what, then handed it back to him.

"You'll probably need this," he said with a sly, knowing grin which to EJ was a clear sign he was walking right into some kind of trap.

"You're going to need these too," the taller dude said as he withdrew a small, shiny object from his pocket and threw it at EJ. It was a keyring with two keys attached.

"Welp. Better get a move on. The clock is ticking for poor Nicole."

"What is this for," EJ enquired of the keys he dangled into the air.

"One is for the front door. I'm sure you'll figure out the other when you get there. Oh, and EJ...we'll still be following you, so don't try anything stupid.

"BRAAAAADY! BRADY! BRADY! OH MY GOD"

Brady jumped up off the foot of the bed at the first mention of his name. Kristen had just come flying into their hotel room, and she was completely hysterical. He grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to calm her enough to find out what was going on.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's the matter? Are you alright?" Immediately he was alarmed. Her face was completely scratched and bruised up and there was the large imprintoin her neck of something that had been pressed into it. A few large spots of blood stained the shoulder area of her silky, cream-colored blouse. Someone had undoubtedly attacked her.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about this. It was a small price to pay considering."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I found her, Brady. I found Nicole."

"What," he replied, conjuring up his very best expression of complete shock. It was time to throw in a little dash of disbelief as well, for good measure. "What do you mean you found her?"

"Brady, there's no time to explain. We have to go get her, now! He caught my guys spying on him and completely flipped his lid. He held her at gunpoint and then made my guys back away then they heard Nicole screaming. I told them not to do another thing until we get there, so come on!"

She grabbed him by the arm and started to run with him, making it impossible for him to stop and make the call he promised to Bo. Hopefully the team was in place and would see them fleeing from the hotel and follow suit, but although he had no way of knowing it at the time, there was only one guy staking out the hotel and Kristen as the rest of the team had already been reassigned to report to the address that had just been sent via text message to Ethan James' cell phone just a few minutes before.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Same Day

EJ arrived at his destination as per the announcement of the car's GPS system, although he was still a long driveway's length away from the house where Nicole and the children were being held, IF Kristen was even telling him the truth. Who knows what really awaited him inside, if he even made it that far. For all he knew there were hitmen hiding in the trees, waiting to take him out the moment he stepped out of the car. It was a possibility for sure, but when he thought about it, it wasn't Kristen's style. That was way too unimaginative for her. She loved toying with her victims probably more than their father did. It would be more her MO to lead him to Nicole just so she could lock them up together and leave him to watch her die, then she'd kill him.

It probably took no more than thirty seconds for him to reach the house but to him it seemed to be more like thirty minutes. He flew out of the SUV, deliberately declining to close the door behind him for fear it would slow him down too much. He quickly glanced at his surroundings and found that, wouldn't you know it, there were indeed men staked up in the trees, at least two of them. Joining the party were his escorts to this location who had just pulled up and parked behind his SUV though for the time being they remained in the car. EJ flew up the front steps of the door and tugged. It was locked.

He remembered the keys and withdrew them from his jacket pocket. With his other hand, he armed himself with his gun before even attempting to try the key in the lock. There was only one logical choice of which key to try first based on size and shape and sure enough, with just an effortless twist to the left, the lock unhinged itself cleanly and allowed him to pass through.

"Nicole?"

His eyes scanned the dark, musty room intently as he searched for some sign of Nicole and the children. Daylight was passing rapidly and the only light left illuminating the home was what was left of the natural lighting filtering in through the sheer curtains on each of the windows.

"Belle? Dez? It's daddy, sweethearts. Are you here?"

Nothing. He recalled the photo of Nicole. The ground beneath her had been made of concrete. If she was indeed here therw was only one place she could be: the basement.

He hurried throughout the house, gun outstretched in front of him, ready to fire if necessary as he began to check every door in his path for access to the lower level. He found the dark stairwell leading into the basement and searched with his spare hand for some type of light source and located a switch. He wasn't expecting to get a result for flicking it to the 'on' position but lo and behold, there was light. He was able to move more swiftly now that he could watch for obstacles, and had made it about half way down when he spotted her feet.

He jumped the rest of the way down and was by her side in seconds. Tears immediately began to spill from his eyes as he saw her lying there terrifyingly still. She was in the same position as the photo he had seen, flat on her back with her arms outstretched at her sides. Her blouse had been ripped open to expose her chest and although her bottom half was completely covered, he was quick to notice that the yoga pants she'd been wearing were on backwards. His desire to punch something, anything was overshadowed by his need to help her, but not before he removed his jacket to cover her, even if it was only the two of them in the room. His hand reached for her cheek. Her face was completely devoid of color aside from the slight, bluish tint to her lips. She didn't appear to be breathing, at least he couldn't see her chest rise and fall, but there was only one way to tell for sure and he was almost too afraid to try feeling for a pulse for fear of what he might discover.

"Please god," he prayed continuously as his fingertips pressed into the vacinity of the jugular vein in her neck, desperately seeking the life-affirming confirmation he needed. Although he wasn't immediately met with the pulsing sensation he desired, he could still feel her body heat. Finally his fingers were able to pinpoint the precise location of a faint but steady pulse, causing him to breathe a deep sigh of relief. As he leaned down to plant a kiss to her forehead, he could feel her soft exhalations blowing against his cheek. He was overwhelmed by how precious the sensation felt.

"It's going to be alright, sweetheart, I'm here. I'm going to get you out of here. I'm going to get you help."

She remained unresponsive to his interactions. From the amount of blood pooled beneath her head, he knew she had suffered a serious head injury. To try to move her himself would be a huge mistake. And there was another problem. There was an iron shackle secured around her ankle. How the heck was he supposed to get her out of there if- The key. The other key was tiny enough to fit the miniature padlock securing the cuff. He reached into his pocket to retrieve it when he was caught off-guard by the cold, hard steel of a gun barrel being pressed into his forehead.

"Step up and get away from her, you son-of-a-bitch!"

EJ immediately recognized the voice as Brady Black's. He turned his head carefully in Brady's direction to get visual confirmation and saw that Kristen was at his side grinning like a Cheshire cat. It was all beginning to make sense now.

"Brady, don't even try to reason with him. I'm telling you, he's insane! Just shoot him, Just shoot him and get him out of the way so we can get help for Nicole."

"Don't do it Brady," EJ shouted defiantly as he tossed his gun to the ground and backed away from Nicole. "Don't listen to her, I'm-"

"SHOOT HIM," Kristen screamed, her voice crackling from the demand she was putting on it. "Look what he's done to her already!"

EJ threw his hands up in surrender in further attempt to prove to Brady that he was not a threat. "I didn't do this to her Brady, you know I couldn't. Don't believe her!"

"Brady, shoot him now or he'll turn on you in a second."

"Brady, I am not moving from this spot right here, I-"

"SHOOT HIM!"

Brady glanced back and forth skeptically between EJ and Kristen, Kristen and EJ and all the while, although his words were directed at him, EJ hadn't taken is eyes off Nicole. He was concerned, panicked, he could see that. But he didn't need EJ's words to tell him that he hadn't been the one to hurt Nicole. One of the first things he'd noticed when he glanced at her motionless body was the shiny, gold hoop earring peeking out through the fingers of her tightly clenched hand. In one swift move that surprised them all, even himself, he grabbed Kristen in a headlock and pressed the nose of the gun cruelly into her temple.

"Brady, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"HOw about for once Kristen, you tell me exactly what you think YOU'RE doing?"

"Brady, please, I told you don't listen to him, I-"

"No, you know what, Kristen? I think I do want to listen to him because the only thing I've been getting out of you for the past eight months is lies."

"I'll tell you everything you want to know," EJ offered sincerely. "But first you need to make a call, Brady. We need to get Nicole help."

Brady nodded agreeably, retrieving the cell phone from Kristen's pocket and opting to pass it EJ's way instead. "You've had time to evaluate her, I'm assuming. "You'll be more help to her than me."

Once the paramedics were officially on their way, EJ ended the call and approached Brady and Kristen with a manical look in hs eye which caused Brady to cower away although he could clearly see his intense starte was intended only for Kristen.

"I know you have a lot of questions, Brady, but trust me. You'll learn a lot just from listening. He got right up in Kristen's face and grabbed handfuls of her hair on either side, using the tether to keep her gaze fixated on him. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY CHILDREN?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, you crazed lunatic!"

"No, you don't know? Or you just don't want Brady to know how when our father died, he left everything to Nicole's and my children, and he left you nada, nothing!"

"Eeej, you and Nicole don't have children, baby. I tried to tell you that, I-"

"No, I suppose on the record Nicole and I don't have children, but that's the way our father wanted it, isn't it?"

"EJ, presenting Nicole with these fake children is not going to help you win her back."

"Brady, it's true. I don't have time to go into details but our son and our daughter are alive and she has them. And she has your son too."

"What," Brady asked, looking at EJ as if he'd just told him he was a father to a baby he didn't know about.

"When Nicole came away with me, we didn't know it at the time, but she was pregnant. She gave birth to your son three months ago." He couldn't help but smile at the mention of the baby boy who had brought them all so much joy. "His name is Sawyer."

"You know, I've heard some doozies in my time Eeej, but-"

"Oh shut the hell up, Kristen," Brady snapped, tightening the grip around her neck. "I've seen all those pics you've been hiding from me, I've seen their kids, ok? Give it up already and tell us where they are."

"NEVER! THOSE BABIES ARE MINE! ALL OF THEM!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Shane Donovan said, making a grand entrance into the room followed by his usual entourage of subordinates. "The agents assigned to surveil the DiMera enterprises jet spotted the three children being carried onto the plane. Since this was inconsistent with the passenger list filed with the jet's flight plan, we were able to keep the plane gounded to investigate. After our agents got shot at we were able to go in and take possession of the children."

"Thank god," EJ said as he rushed to Nicole's side and dropped to his knees to lean down and kiss her forehead once more. "You hear that, darling. Our babies are safe."

"Well, I hate to put a damper on the situation for you, Elvis, but for starters, you should know that all three of the children have been taken to the hospital for evaluation. The little girl and boy were unconscious and paramedics were not able to wake them. They have reason to suspect Kristen administered some kind of drug to them."

"The baby. What about the baby," Brady demanded as he finally was relieved from his duty guarding Kristen when an agent stepped in and cuffed her.

"The baby seems fine, but given his condition and no one around with the knowledge of how to properly care for him, he's being cared for in the hospital NICU."

"He was born very prematurely," EJ piped up to explain, stroking Nicole's cheek softly with his hands as he spoke. "He was on a ventilator for quite some time which did damage to his lungs so he is on oxygen at all times. He also has mixed apnea so his breathing has to be monitored constantly, but he's going to be fine. They say he'll grow out of it in a couple of years, as his lungs mature."

"Well. Aren't you quite the expert on my son. Just do me a favor and stay the hell away."

There it was. The brief moment of male bonding brought on by cooperatively saving the life of the woman they both loved was brought to a screeching halt by one half of the party asserting himself. It was only a matter of time.

"Brady, I don't want to get into this with you right now but there is nothing you can say or do to keep me away from Nicole and the children."

"Well, maybe he can't, but I can," Shane Donovan said, stepping in front of him with a victorious look on his face. "This is the other piece of your bad news. EJ DiMera, you are under arrest."


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Sydney

Next Day

Nicole couldn't stand the pounding in her head any longer. This was officially the worst headache she'd ever had in her life. She needed to get up and go get some medicine from the over-the-sink cabinet in the bathroom, however each time she tried to open her eyes they didn't want to open, and each time she tried to move she was met with resistance and pain in one of her arms although she couldn't determine left from right at this point. The throbbing. It was now not only in her head but her arm too. She started to groan. She had to do something to make it stop. She promised herself this time, not matter how challenging it might be, on the count of ten she was getting up and marching straight to the bathroom for some Tylenol. Her eyes began to flutter as she struggled to open them.

"That's it Nic. Open your eyes. Come on, babe."

The man's voice was soothing enough to put her right back to sleep, as was the gentle massaging to the palm of her hand she assumed was coming from the same source. Her eyes fluttered open in attempt to put a face and a name to the mystery man but revealing who he was quickly took a back seat to trying to remember how in the heck she managed to land herself in the hospital.

"Hey, babe," charismatic man with the pretty blue eyes said as he stroked her cheek with his hand. "Come on, stay with us now. Don't go back to sleep."

"Why am I here, she managed to squeak out weakly while a gaggle of doctors and nurses surrounded her bed seemingly out of nowhere. "What happened?"

"We were hoping you'd be able to tell us that, sweetheart," one of the women asked as she shined a bright light into each one of her eyes, intensifying the pain in her head. "Can you tell me your name, hon?"

"Owww! Nicole," she replied irritatedly, turning her head to the side to avoid the invasive glare.

"Good girl, Nicole, that is much better than last time," the doctor said encouragingly. "I'm going to be asking you a bunch more questions, OK?

Brady felt as if he were breathing through a straw while he nervously watched the entire exchange. He had been up all night with Nicole and approximately every other hour for the eighteen hours she'd been there, she would wake up briefly, sometimes just for a few seconds, sometimes long enough to undergo an interrogation like the one she was getting now. This was the first time she'd been able to tell them her name, and the first time she actually seemed somewhat alert. She couldn't remember much else, but the doctors seemed pleased regardless, as was he. He had been assured that her memory loss and confusion was a direct result of her head injury and would continue to diminish as the swelling of her brain went down. The toxicology reports confirmed there was no trace of the memory-erasing drug that Kristen tried to use in her, nor was it found in the two children despite her attempt. Of course he knew it shouldn't be. Shortly after reporting his findings to the ISA, he'd met with Shane Donovan in secret a few weeks back while in London to switch the vials of the mystery drug with placebos in the event that Kristen would discover her intended targets. Of course they had know way of knowing what it's purpose was at the time, or exactly who she planned to use it on, but after a speedy lab analysis, it was clear that it was something so powerful that no mere mortal had any business possessing it. It was only within the last few hours they were finally beginning to understand why Kristen had demanded such a sinister drug.

DNA tests had confirmed the children were Nicole and EJ's biological, previously-thought deceased children. They were also confirmed to be the same two children who were named as the only heirs in Stefano's will, with much help from Nicole's daughter herself who was unknowingly corroborating every word of her father's story although she hadn't had any contact with him since he dropped her and her brother off for school the previous day. Rafe, who was there unofficially, had done an outstanding job of mediating between the children and the ISA by putting the children at ease, explaining that he knew their mother well and supported his stories of her being his good friend by sharing several pictures of her he'd kept stored on his phone.

The gist of the story told by both was, Stefano had brought EJ back to life and reintroduced him to the children he had stolen from him under the belief that EJ would never regain his memory. However, EJ began to get his memories back but then kept it secret when he realized they didn't want him to remember. More specifically, they didn't want him finding out the truth about the children and who their mother was. But he did remember and he spent over a year plotting his and the children's escape as well as an exit strategy for Nicole so she could join them.

Everything made sense now. Kristen wanted those kids back because, A:  
She was their guardian on record which guaranteed her a nice paycheck for the time being and, B: she wanted to regain control of the money they were to inherit. But now the cat was out of the bag...it was clear EJ remembered everything, figured out what had been done with Nicole's babies, and now there was no going back. There was no way she could simply steal them back without EJ and/or Nicole coming after her and/or the children rebelling against her...unless they simply just didn't remember.

"Mr. Black, I want you to keep talking to her. Don't ask questions, or force her to think, but try to keep a steady conversation going. You can answer any questions she has for you but I would avoid going into details about the incident. If she's not recalling these things on her own it might be too overwhelming for her to hear right now."

Brady nodded, giving the doctor her cue to leave. The doc's orders were fine by him. He was happy to have a good excuse to not bring up EJ.

"What's this incident she's talking about," Nicole demanded through squinted eyes. Her head was still killing her even though she'd been mashing her thumb down constantly on the little button which dispensed the pain medication the nurse had demonstrated for her how to use. "Brady, what happened to me?"

Brady sighed with relief, then bared a grin so wide it brought tears to his eyes. "You just called me Brady. Oh, thank god." He couldn't resist leaning in for a kiss any longer. His lips locked on hers just until she was able to overcome the shock of his gesture. It took her only a second to turn her head to the side to avoid him, though she could offer no explanation why at the time other than it just didn't feel right.

"I'm sorry," she began to apologize. "I gue-"

"No need to apologize. I'm the one who should be sorry, You barely just remembered my name so I guess it's going to take some time before you remember everything about us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, us. You and me, we were fantastic, Nic. This last time we were together, I've been the happiest I've ever been in my entire life."

"We're good friends, Brady. I know that."

"No, Nic, we're better than friends. We're soul mates. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Right before you disappeared, I was going to ask you to marry me."

"What?" She didn't mean for her response to sounds as perturbed as it did, but with the pounding in her head the only thing she wanted to hear was silence. At least that was a better excuse than simply not wanting to address the subject of something that sounded so preposterous. "Sorry, it's just my head. Is anyone going to tell me what happened?"

Brady appeared to be about to offer some kind of explanation when another nurse she didn't remember seeing yet popped her head in the door. Nicole rolled her eyes in disgust over the interruption. Apparently there was some kind of agenda by all to keep her from knowing the truth.

"Mr. Black, it's time for the baby's feeding. Doctor Wyeth gave the OK to do it in here as long as that's alright with you. She thought it might help Nicole remember."

"Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Bring him in."

"Baby," Nicole repeated quietly as images which passed too quickly to capture started flashing before her eyes. There were people...important people she should remember, but she couldn't see their faces. However, when Brady picked up the little baby boy from the cart he'd just been wheeled in on and placed him in the crook of her good arm, everything came flooding back at once.

"Sawyer!" Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as she kissed the top of her sweet little boy's head repeatedly. "Oh my god, Brady," she said, suddenly panicked as she struggled to sit up straight in her bed. "BELLE AND DEZ! OH MY GOD! KRISTEN HAS THEM!"

"Shhh, shhh," it's alright," Brady said, quickly easing her back down to her previous position. "Belle and Dez are fine. The ISA rescued them."

She was still hysterical. "SHE INJECTED THEM WITH SOME DRUG! SHE WAS GOING-"

"It's OK, there was no drug. We switched it with something that was harmless. They're going to be fine."

"WHAT ABOUT EJ? OH GOD-" her voice trailed off as she recalled Kristen's sinister plans for him. "Please tell me you didn't shoot him?"

"No, I didn't shoot him." _But I wish I had,_ he thought to himself. He was also beginning to wish he'd never opened his mouth about that stupid drug in the first place. Kristen wasn't the only one it would have benefited from it. "He's fine."

Nicole finally began to calm down. "Can I see him," she asked, her eyes now filled with all the spark he was hoping to see from her when she looked at him.

"I'm afraid that's impossible right now," he replied, making effort to sound as regretful as he could. "He's in police custody."

"What? Why?" Again, she was making some kind of attempt to get out of bed, even with the baby still tucked in her arm.

"Where do I start? Fraud, kidnapping-"

"Kidnapping, really? Our own children?"

"Yeah, well that hadn't been proven yet but now that the DNA test results are back that charge should be tossed out."

"DNA tests? My poor babies! They've been through so much! I need to see them Brady! I need to see them now! I have to talk to EJ!" She began to throw her legs over the side of the bed, giving Brady no other choice but to take the baby away and call for the nurse, who reported almost as soon as she was beckoned for.

"I think you need to sedate her. She keeps trying to get out of bed."

"Oh, no sweetie, we can't have that. Not with your head injury," the nurse said as she assisted Brady in holding her down long enough for the drug she injected through her IV stream to take effect. "Just let us know if she wakes up and starts getting restless again. The doctor doesn't want her out of bed for at least a couple more days."

"You got it," Brady replied, unable to resist the sly smile spreading across his face. "I was wondering, as Miss Walker's significant other, is it possible for me to restrict visitors, phone calls, that kind of stuff?"

"Well, typically those decisions are left to a spouse or next of kin, but considering the circumstances, I think they'll allow it."

"Good. I want to make sure EJ DiMera doesn't get to set a foot in this room or call. She needs to be kept as far away from that man as possible, for her own good." _And mine._


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Sydney

Later That Day

Nicole began to stir as she struggled to make out the words and identities of the hushed voices surrounding her from all sides. Her eyes were doing that thing where they just didn't want to open again so she was left to rely on her brain to do all the work. For the first few minutes she had become aware, the voices reminded her of your typical unseen adult's voice on any given Peanuts cartoon only, unlike Charlie Brown and crew, she couldn't understand a word of what was being said. She spent a good few minutes in this dazed existence before she heard a word which finally made sense: mommy.

"Desmond, stop it! You're going to wake her up," Belle scolded her brother quietly as she foiled his attempt to climb onto their mother's hospital bed.

"I want mommy to wake up," Desmond whined aloud, forgetting his quiet voice as he folded his arms across his chest and scowled at his sister. "I want to talk to mommy before they make us go back to bed."

"Me too, but the doctor said mommy needs her rest," Belle stated authoritatively as she coaxed him back into the chair seated at Nicole's bedside, right next to the one where Rafe Hernandez sat, watching the exchange between the two children with amusement.

Belle was the first one to see Nicole's eyes flutter open. She leaped onto the bed and threw herself onto her mother's chest, hugging her as tightly as her little arms could. "Hi mommy," she said with the happiest smile Nicole had ever seen, then proceeded to cover her mother's face with kisses.

"Hi, princess," Nicole cried happily as she wrapped her arm around her little girl and pulled her tightly to her. "I am so happy to see you!"

Within seconds they were joined by Desmond who was squirming to come inbetween the two of them, causing Belle to back away graciously to allow her brother his share of mommy time.

"Hey, sweetheart, come here," Nicole beckoned by extending her open arm which he immediately dove into. "How's my brave, big boy? Are you OK?"

He nodded with his face buried into thw crook of her arm, attempting to disguise his tears. After all, truly brave boys weren't supposed to cry.

Nicole instinctively knew what was going through her son's head and immediately sought to put him at ease. "It was pretty scary, huh," she said soothingly as she rubbed his back and kissed the top of his head for added comfort. "You know, even though mommy was trying to be super brave, I was really, really scared. I know you and your sister must have been too."

Desmond nodded, still burying his face.

"You know, mommy cried a lot when they took you and your sister away. Look at me, I'm still crying, but that's natural. That's how our bodies react to scary situations, especially when it involves the people that we love the most."

"Your mother is absolutely right," Rafe said as he rose from his chair to join the conversation, catching Nicole by surprise. She honestly hadn't noticed there was anyone else in the room. "Even cops are known to cry after being through something stressful. I bet you didn't know that."

Desmond finally peeked out from beneath Nicole's arm and turned his attention to Rafe. "You cry?"

"Sure I do. In fact I cried when I found out that all of you were rescued and were going to be fine. I had been really scared for all of you but I was so relieved and happy that it was over that I cried."

"You did," Nicole asked, smiling fondly at her long-lost friend.

"Yeah, I did," Rafe replied, grinning sheepishly as he grabbed her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "It's great to see you, Nic."

"You too, though I must admit I'm kinda shocked to see you here. Are you working for the ISA now?"

"Nah, I'm not here on business. When I heard what was going on I just thought you could use having an extra friend around."

"Thank you," she replied, nodding appreciatively. "I may have to put you to the test later."

He nodded understandingly. She undoubtedly had tons of burning questions and topics she didn't dare discuss in front of the children, specifically those surrounding EJ and his fate. Additionally, if everything EJ was telling the ISA was true, which he pretty much himself deduced it was based on his interactions with the children, she was going to have a time breaking it to Brady that she and EJ were not only back on, but engaged nonetheless.

"Rafe, you have to show mommy the video," Belle insisted as she tugged at the arm with the hand stuffed in his coat pocket.

"Video," Nicole inquired, looking baffled.

Rafe grinned and retrieved his cell phone, surrendering it over to Belle who took charge of positioning the phone's screen for Nicole to see after retrieving the desired content and pushing 'play.' Nicole immediately began to weep at the sight of the man on the screen before her. It was EJ. He was sitting in a chair in a busy, office environment, with people shown hustling to and fro beyond him. There was a lot of background noise from what seemed to be dozens of other conversations going on in the room, but she was still able to hear his every word clearly.

"Hi, sweethearts! I just want you all to know I love you so much, and I am so happy to hear that you are all safe and going to be alright. I want you to know that I am fine, and I am working very hard with the ISA to get everything sorted out so I can come home as soon as possible. I don't want any of you to worry about Kristen. She has been arrested and can't hurt you anymore. I'm going to make sure they know everything that Kristen and your nonno did so that she stays locked up for rest of her life. I just sent billions of hugs and kisses to you all which should be getting there about now, so please do me a favor and see to it that your mommy and Sawyer get plenty of them too. I love you, and I'll see you very soon, I promise."

Belle and Desmond immediately started covering Nicole with hugs and kisses. "From daddy," Belle informed her cheerfully, taking much pride in successfully relaying her father's wishes.

"Hi, Miss Walker," the polite, young woman wearing white scrubs interrupted pleasantly. "I'm sorry to interrupt but, I'm Jill, I'm the nurse in charge of your children this evening and I'm afraid I have to take them back to their rooms now."

"Oh," Nicole replied looking suddenly alarmed. "Their rooms?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I realize you probably haven't even been awake long enough for someone to explain, but we're just keeping them under observation until tomorrow morning. There's no need to worry, they're fine."

"I don't wanna go," Desmond said folding his arms across his chest with a pout, still laying in Nicole's arm.

"Oh believe me sweetie, mommy doesn't want you to go either but, you know what? If you go back to your bed and go to sleep, tomorrow will be here faster than you know it, and then you can come hang out with mommy all day. How does that sound?"

"Good," he said, planting a kiss to Nicole's cheek before hopping up off the bed and running to Jill's side.

"I love you, mommy," Belle said as she returned to her mother's side and hugged her tightly, then proceeded to apply kisses to both her Nicole's bandaged head and arm, just as would be done by both her parents for every bruise, cut, and scrape she had suffered. "Hope your head gets better real soon."

"Thank you, princess. Mommy already feels so much better after seeing you and Dez. I love you both so much. Sleep tight, ok?"

"Good night, mommy," they sang out in unison before being led out the door.

"Rafe, thank you so much," Nicole began as soon as she was sure her children were out of earshot. "You've obviously spent a lot of time with them and they clearly feel comfortable around you. I can't tell you how much that means to me."

"You're welcome. They're beautiful Nic."

"Thank you," she replied, smiling proudly. "I hate to sound conceited but I have to agree. I have the three most beautiful babies in the world."

"Yeah, you do. I'm so happy for you, Nic. I want you to know that..."

"OK, I feel a 'but' coming on. Let me guess, 'but I wish you wouldn't let yourself get involved with EJ."

"Yeah, well it's no secret how I feel about the guy and yes, while it's true I do worry about you and him, that's not what I was going to say."

"Ok, so what?

"I was just going to warn you that the news of what happened has broke. Hurricane Sami is making her way to Australia as we speak."


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

ISA Headquarters, Sydney

Next Day

EJ sat on the cold, cement floor of the small holding cell where he was being held, hugging his knees to his chest, deep in thought. He'd been in ISA custody for nearly a full forty-eighty hours now, being grilled almost non-stop for every detail beginning with the day he was shot in Salem. Even though he played no role in his resurrection they seemed determined to bring him down for not only that, but for fraud for living under an assumed identity as well as kidnapping Nicole. Even though the ISA was aware that she was a willing participant to some extent, he had fudged some of the details to make himself sound more menacing so it appeared she had very little choice in the matter for at least the first few months, otherwise she was at risk for being charged with fraud as well. There was no way he could allow Nicole to be punished for simply wanting to be with her kids, and there was no way he would leave his children under god-only-knows whose care if both he and Nicole were locked up. If the ISA would be perfectly content having just him take the fall, so be it. It was a small price to pay for the happiness and well-being of his family.

Under normal circumstances, he would be a free man by now. EJ DiMera pre-death would have someone right there ready to post bail so he was at least free to go until his trial date, but the only one he had on his side was Nicole, and the only money they had was mostly in cash and stored in the basement of the home they were now forbidden to access and, even of they were permitted to go inside, Nicole was still in the hospital. At lest that's what he was able to determine based on the limited information they were giving him about her condition. All he'd been told was that she suffered a broken arm and a head injury that was serious but not life-threatening although she could be at risk for some brain damage and/or memory loss. He was eagerly awaiting an update promised to him by Rafe Hernandez of all people, only after being informed that anything he did for him was only because he still loved Nicole. Yes, Rafael had been more than happy to fill him in on the fact that he and Nicole had actually dated shortly after he departed Salem, and that he would do absolutely anything for her; a fascinating detail that Nikki had failed to mention.

Nikki. His main worries were for her and the children, above all else. Was she awake? Who was with the children? Does she remember anything? Who was going to be there at her side for whatever she needed? "Brady and Rafe, that's who," he said aloud with an exaggerated chuckle as his mind conjured up images of the two of them duking it out to be Nicole's best man, with the loser eventually bowing out gracefully to the winner in the end because, hey...at least she didn't end up with EJ. His hands clenched themselves into tight fists at the thought, and he could feel his cheeks began to flush from his boiling blood which was nothing but a result of sheer jealousy. He wasn't worried about Nicole's feelings for him,. They were in a really good place right now and he felt confident that Nicole would remain loyal to him and dedicated to keeping the family together. It was the two idiots he worried about. They were going to try their damnedest to convince her to move on without him and in all likelihood, Rafe would probably bow out and simply join team Brady since Brady now had the perfect bargaining tool to "win" Nicole back: Sawyer. One thing about the golden boys was that they were often sore losers, and he feared that if Nicole refused him that he would use Sawyer to get at least part of what he wanted. God, he prayed he was grossly misjudging Brady Black, but his hopes were not high.

"EJ DiMera," a strong, woman's voice echoed within his cell. He looked up to find a hefty, middle-aged woman in a suit bearing an ISA badge standing in the doorway, staring down at him. "You have a visitor."

"I do,' he inquired with genuine surprise as he rose to his feet. "Who is it?"

"It's your wife, honey, now fix that hair and try to look presentable before I have to cuff you."

EJ gave a sigh of relief and smiled. He did take a moment to smooth back his hair and straighten the clothes he'd been wearing for two days now before surrendering his wrists to the agent. Nicole was here. Apparently her injuries hadn't been as bad as he'd feared since she had already been released. He followed the guard down the long corridor, practically skipping all the way. He couldn't wait to see her. He wasn't sure what kind of environment they would be in for their meeting, but all he knew was that if they were allowed in the same room there was no way he could keep a promise of having no physical contact with her. He had to hold her, even if for only a second.

He was led into a small office where he was instructed to sit in a small, metal armchair where his cuffs were removed only to allow the woman to adjust the method of restraint. This time, two sets of cuffs were used so that one cuff of each set was secured to his wrist while the other anchored his arm to the chair via the arm rests. So much for getting to hug Nicole.

"Alrighty, I'm going to bring her in now. Don't you go anywhere now, sweet cheeks."

EJ rolled his eyes. Every single one of your average ISA jerk thought they were a stand-up comedian. All in all his wait time was about two minutes, but if course it seemed more like two hours before the door finally creaked open and he heard the familiar tap of high-heeled shoes on the tile floor. There was something about this particular rushed, heavy-footed, click-clacking that sounded familiar, although not in a good way. Before the sight of her actually confirmed his fears, he had already deduced that it was not Nicole from the absence of gracefulness in her step. He sighed deeply in effort to conjure up every bit of strength and patience he could muster, He was going to need it in spades. "Hello, Samantha."

"Well, well, well," Sami said, bearing her usual disgusted scowl as she entered the room and immediately got right in his face, studying every square inch of it carefully. "Elvis really is alive and well after all. And we all thought those were just silly rumors."

"It's lovely to see you too, Samantha."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is this not the warm welcome you were expecting? Did you ever stop to think that maybe I'd feel a bit differently if I didn't know you've spent the last eight months SHACKING UP WITH NICOLE!"

EJ wrinkled his nose in disgust and turned his head in attempt to avoid being showered with more spittle courtesy of a seething Samantha. Just as he was about to turn his attention back toward her, a forceful smack to his face returned his head facing to the side. "Really, Samantha? Were you not filled in on all the details? Do you not have any idea of what I've been going through these last couple of years? This goes way beyond some casual hook-up between me and Nicole. My father stole our children, and he kept them from us. Not just Nicole, me too! His own son!"

"Really, EJ? You got Nicole to buy that load of crap?"

"It's not a load of crap, it's the truth! I swear on my children it's true."

"Which ones? Nicole's, or mine? Because it really doesn't seem like you give a damn about Johnny or Sydney."

"I was protecting Belle and Desmond! Have you not heard what Kristen was planning to do to them, to Nicole?"

"Well, while you were out playing Superman to Nicole, Johnny and Sydney were back at home where you should have been, crying themselves to sleep every night because they miss their daddy."

"And you honestly believe that I didn't think about them every minute? I wanted to be with them, Nicole wanted to be with them, but there was no way we could have come back with Kristen after us. But obviously you have no concern for my children unless they're the ones that I share with you."

Sami's expression softened. "That's not true. Look, I'm sorry. Obviously, I'm angry to find out that you've been with Nicole this entire time but, I do know that what you claim happened is so far believed to be true. I'm sorry to hear about what Stefano did with yours and Nicole's children. You at least didn't deserve that."

"And what? Nicole did? Why, because she took Sydney from you? Did you ever stop to think that SHE WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT IF MY FATHER HADN'T STOLEN OUR DAUGHTER?"

"Alright, sheesh, calm down," she said as took a seat on the edge of the adjacent desk, shaking her head disapprovingly at him. "You know, red is not a very flattering color for you so take a chill pill."

"As a mother yourself, how can you stand there and say that any woman deserves to have a child ripped from her arms? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sami began to chuckle maniacally. "Oh where do I begin, EJ? For the record, there is nothing wrong with me, but there is something very wrong with this entire situation. Why are you so concerned about Nicole's feelings? Did you forget that she left you and that you are married to me, not her?"

He couldn't help but laugh. That was exactly what had just happened. The agent had told him his wife was there and he'd fully expected to see Nicole, but confessing this to Sami was not wise. "No, Samantha, I certainly didn't forget. But things have changed. Everything has changed."

"EJ, we're married. Isn't that what you always wanted?"

"I thought so, at one time. But sometimes we come to find out we don't always need the things we want while nothing can replace the things that we need."

Sami's jaw about hit the floor as she stared at him in silent disbelief.

"I love her, Samantha. With all my heart and soul."

"Well then," Sami said as she slid off the edge of the desk and straightened what little fabric hung loose from her skin-tight red dress. "I guess I should probably go. You know, I was gonna bail you out so you at least coulda lied about how you felt for now. You're slipping, Elvis."

"Samantha, wait," he said, attempting to get out of his seat, momentarily forgetting his predicament. "Please, if you post my bail, I promise I will repay you immediately! I know you owe me no favors, but you would do it for Johnny and Sydney."

"Really? So they can discover their father has tossed them and their mother aside for his new family? Not a chance. I'd rather you stay locked up behind bars for the rest of your life. I hope you're happy with your decision, EJ. You should have plenty of time thinking about it while you're rotting in hell, all by your lonesome while Brady reclaims his girl. Toodles!"


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Sydney

Same Day

Nicole stood before the large window of her room bedroom peering down into the building's main parking area which it overlooked, hoping to catch a glimpse of her children arriving. It was just after six PM, and instead of getting to spend the day with them as she had hoped, she had spent the last few hours undergoing questioning and being debriefed about EJ and Kristen's status, courtesy of the ISA. She had been so excited to tell the kids the good news that she would likely be released from the hospital tomorrow, but no, all she could think about was how she could tell them they wouldn't be seeing their daddy om a permanent basis for quite some time. At least until she could figure things out.

EJ was being bullied into taking the fall for doing nothing other than trying to reclaim his life. It was utterly ridiculous. Worse yet, the ISA was well-aware that he was feeding them bogus details about her 'kidnapping' before her own story even validated their theory. They didn't care about what really happened, all they wanted was a reason to keep EJ behind bars simply for being EJ. This wasn't merely guesswork on her part. when she'd insisted her version of the story was the accurate one, she'd been strongly advised to go along with EJ's account unless she wanted to end up serving time as well. She agreed, but only because, A-she knew that's what EJ himself wanted, and B-she would figure out a way to get him out and then tell the real story herself. It was one of the perks of being a TV journalist. Make that a TV journalist who was making headlines herself and was now worth billions of dollars.

Not that she cared about the money. She didn't. Ten years ago she would have laughed in the face of someone who might actually believe that statement, but it was true today. She would have been perfectly happy living out the rest of her years with EJ and the children in their little beach bungalow in Australia. Not that the money wasn't nice; she certainly enjoyed all the benefits of living in a fully-staffed mansion and being able to buy whatever she wants, whenever she wanted it. It simply was no longer number one on the list of the top-ten most important things in life...but it was still on there, and still made the top five. EJ and the kids were all tied for number one, followed by good health for all at number two, happiness at number three, then money. Money had to be on there, and high up the list. With money came power and influence and when your last name is DiMera, those were two very necessary things to ensure your survival. Problem was, she only had access to a limited amount of the money so she was going to have to rely heavily on using the DiMera influence to get things accomplished which was not going to be an easy task considering she was no longer legally a DiMera and EJ was technically still married to Sami.

Sami. Ugh. Although she had not yet been able to talk to EJ herself, Rafe had informed her that Sami had indeed been to see him. She had learned through Rafe that Sami and the Hollywood dude she'd married, some struggling actor whose only claim to fame throughout his entire "career" was playing DJ Tanner's date on an episode of Full HOuse, divorced and Sami had moved back to Salem and was temporarily shacking up with Lucas when she heard EJ was alive. Sami was single so of course she was going to want him back. Even if she didn't, she would make sure that no one else could have him, and especially not her. Oh well, it's not like she'd be able to jump him while he was in jail, and really, for once Sami was the least of her worries. She had to keep her focus on setting EJ free and in order to get started, she needed to figure out her next move.

Brady was going to be a problem. Although she hadn't outright told him she'd moved on with EJ, he had to know. He and Rafe both had shared duties watching after Belle and Desmond while she had been confined to her bed and he undoubtedly had learned a lot from interacting with them. Still, he seemed to be under the impression that now that she was found and they had a baby together to boot, she would be returning home with him. As much as she hated entertaining this idea, especially considering EJ would be stuck to face his charges in Australia, right now it was probably her smartest move to just go along with it. Rejecting Brady could have very debilitating consequences, namely Victor, who she learned was in Australia and had already visited his great-grandson, butting his nose in and convincing Brady to sue for custody of Sawyer, and she couldn't be battling the Kiriakis' for rights to her son while she was trying to save the DiMera name. Or could she?

It was a good thing her back was turned to Brady so he couldn't see the wry smile which spread across her face as she pondered the many ways she could use that scenario to her advantage. Not that she would ever want or manipulate that situation to happen. With Brady back in the baby's life, she truly wanted him to have the relationship with his son that he was entitled to. He was a good guy and would be a good father...she just didn't know what to expect to happen when she tells him she wants to spend the rest of her life with EJ. One thing she knew for certain was that she was never going to allow anyone to dictate the way she lived her life ever again. She would have to make a few small sacrifices for now, but only long enough for her to free EJ so the two of them could restore the DiMera family to greatness. She could only pray that Belle and Desmond would understand what she had to do and hoped that she would have the opportunity to explain before they witnessed anything upsetting. In order to bring their daddy home, Brady had to believe he was no longer a threat. She made the executive decision to return to Salem with him, for now.

Of course she didn't plan on allowing things to pick up right where they left off. With everything that had just happened, she figured the readjustment period would buy her enough time to refuse his affections, as in no kissing, no hugging...nothing, until she could bust EJ out. But it probably wouldn't stop Brady from trying.

"Nic, come on over here and sit down. They'll be here soon. The doc will have a fit if he sees you out of bed like this."

Nicole turned around and grinned at Brady apologetically, then proceeded to heed his instructions, although reluctantly, by sitting on the edge of her bed, facing him as he held a sleeping Sawyer in his arms.

"You know," she began as she reached out to stroke their little boy's cheek, "every time I would look at him I would see you, and I would tell him how much he looked just like his daddy."

Brady was beaming. "I still can't believe I'm a dad. I just wish I had been there, Nic."

"I know," she said, grabbing a hold of his knee and giving it a tight squeeze. "I wish you were too. I hope you can forgive me for not reaching out to you, but you have to understand I was only trying to protect Belle and Dez from Kristen."

"I know. Believe me, I don't blame you for any of this, alright? You did what you had to do to be with your kids. I could never hold that against you."

Nicole took a deep breath before tackling the next subject for dramatic effect. "Not even agreeing to marry EJ?"

Brady frowned. "Look, I don't know what you were thinking, but clearly, you've come to your senses, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, I hate to even admit this, but in all honesty, it sounded like a good idea at the time. I think I just wanted to make my kids happy and I knew that more than anything, they wanted to see their mommy and daddy together."

"And I understand that. Perhaps if Kristen had never caught up with you, who knows...maybe you, and EJ, and the kids could have been happy together. But Nic...you gotta know that fantasy, it's all over now."

"I know," she nodded understandingly. "Even if EJ was a free man, it was over for us the minute Sami learned he was still alive. Believe me, I know as well as you do that's exactly where he'll end up."

"You seem disappointed," Brady remarked bitterly in response to the forlorn look on her face.

Nicole sighed deeply and shook her head dismissively. "Oh, honey, no...please don't get the wrong idea. I don't care about him, honestly...not as far as I'm concerned anyway. I'm just worried about what this will do to Belle and Dez. I haven't had the heart to tell them how I feel. They believe I love their daddy and that we're going to be a family again soon. I don't know how to tell them that's not going to happen."

Brady left his chair and opted to join her on the bed. Still cradling Sawyer in one arm, he sat beside her and wrapped his arm tightly around her waist, hugging her close to him. "It's going to be alright," he said softly as he kissed her forehead, "you're not in this alone, ok? We're going to figure this out together."

"Does that mean you still want me," she said, staring into his eyes with all the insincere wishfulness she could conjure up.

Brady shook his head in disbelief. "Babe, I just spent the last eight months trying to find you. I-" He was done trying to explain his feelings with words and opted to show her instead by pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss but was caught by surprise when she pushed him away after all of two seconds.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, grabbing his hand and giving it a tight squeeze for consolation. "Please don't take that the wrong way. Believe me, I didn't want to stop you, it's just that I know the kids are going to be here any minute, and-"

"It's OK," Brady interjected, offering her an understanding smile. "I should have thought about that too. I just wanted to make it clear to you how I feel about you. I love you. More than I've ever loved anyone, and that's never going to change."

"I love you too, Brady," she replied without having to coerce the tears which started streaming down her cheeks. She did love him, that part wasn't a lie and she hated knowing that one day soon she would be forced to break his heart in the worst way. He would know she had played him, and that would hurt him deeply. He didn't deserve that, especially considering it wasn't really Brady she was protecting her family from, it was Victor. Brady would merely be the marionette with Victor manipulating his every move. He would convince Brady the only solution to having a decent relationship with his son would be to take the baby away from her, and she couldn't put herself or Sawyer through that now, especially with his condition. The day would come eventually, but she couldn't allow it to happen before she knew she and EJ would have the ability to fight it, and that meant that EJ had to once again regain control of the family and DiMera Enterprises. It was the only way they would win. And she knew exactly how to make it happen.

She only wished there was some way she could tell EJ her plan. Evidently, if she wanted to see him she was going to have to work her charms on Rafe as well and convince him to pull some strings since the ISA was adamant about her not seeing EJ after he confessed to kidnapping her, but with Brady now watching protectively over her, it wasn't going to be easy. She might just have to rely on someone else to relay the message, and there was only one person who was not only capable enough, but whom she trusted to do the job completely: Belle. At the very least, she was sure she could arrange for the kids to see EJ before flying back to the states. The kidnapping charges they attempted to slap on him for the children were dropped the minute he was proven to be their father, and there was no denying the mutual, loving relationship between EJ and his kids, not even by the ISA. Surely Rafe could get them to arrange one brief, little meeting between EJ and the kids if she asked nicely and batted her eyelashes enough. She knew all the right buttons to push when it came to Rafe Hernandez.

"Mommmmmy," Belle squealed excitedly as she ran into the room and leaped into Nicole's lap, throwing her arms around her neck and squeezing tight. "Do you feel better today?"

"Yes, I do! I feel so much better today. How's my princess?"

"Good! Rafe took us to the zoo, and guess what?"

"What?"

"Dez and I got to ride a camel!"

"Wow! That must have been really fun!"

"It was," Belle replied, exuberantly at first though her joy and enthusiasm began to diminish rapidly when clealry some unpleasant thought must have crossed her mind. "I just wish you and daddy were there."

Nicole hugged her tightly. She couldn't have gotten a better cue if she had planned it from the very beginning. "Guys," she said, exchanging glances between both Brady and Rafe, "can you give me a few minutes to talk to my kids? Alone."

"Yeah, Nic, take your time," Brady said as he got up still holding onto the baby and aided in coaxing Rafe out of the room. "Let's go get a cup of coffee man, come on."

Once the door was shut behind them, Nicole proceeded to speak. "I'm going to try to get you both to see your daddy real soon, Ok, but I have to be honest with you. It might be a little while before you see him again after that."

"Why? Doesn't daddy want to see us," Desmond asked, his eyes wide and worrisome.

"Of course he does, but he's in trouble. The police want him to stay in jail because they think that he did bad things, but you and your sister need to know, that's not true. But, because your daddy is a DiMera, they want to punish him too for all the bad things that your nonno and Kristen did."

Desmond began to sob. "Mommy, you promised we would all be together."

"I know, angel, and believe me, mommy is going to keep her promise, and so is daddy. We're not going to let anyone or anything keep us apart for long, and I have a plan, ok? Do you trust mommy?"

Both children nodded agreeably in response but it was Belle who piped up with a verbal reaction. "Can I help, mommy?"

"Sweetheart, it's funny you should ask because for this one, I'm going to need all the help I can get from you and your brother both. Are you up for a challenge?"

"Yeah,' Belle and Desmond replied in unison, bouncing on the bed with excitement.

"Ok, so I need you both to sit back and listen to mommy very carefully. Now that we can use our real names again, you guys are going to have to learn what it's like to live like a DiMera, and that means you will need to master something that is going to make your daddy and I very, very proud. I'm about to teach you both the fine art of scheming."


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Sydney

Next Day

Sitting on the edge of her soon-to-be-former hospital bed, finally clothed in her normal attire, Nicole coralled her little girl in front of her by hooking her around the shoulders for the debriefing to follow.

"You remember everything you need to tell your daddy today," she inquired as she peered down into her daughter's attentive, crystal-blue eyes which she gently tipped in the direction of her gaze by tilting her soulful little face upwards by her adorable, dimpled chin.

"Yes," Belle whispered, as instructed she should when discussing such matters. "Tell him to not believe a word of what he hears and that there is a plan for everything you say or do."

Nicole breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Ok, perfect, but what are you forgetting?"

"I didn't forget mommy," she said softly as she climbed onto her mother's lap, this time she being the one to cradle her mother's face within her tiny hands. Peering deeply into Nicole's eyes, mimicking the exact demonstration given by her mother earlier, she proclaimed, "And most importantly, mommy wants you to know that she loves you with all her heart and soul, and she promises she's going to bring you home A-S-A-P."

"Yes," Nicole chimed in exuberantly, displaying her approval. "And what else?"

"This," Belle offered before attacking her mother with a onslaught of kisses all about her face as she administered the most impressive bear hug to ever emit from an eight-year-old girl.

Nicole hugged her beautiful daughter back as tightly as she could manage with only one functioning arm. These tender embraces still managed to bring tears of joy to her eyes every time, regardless of their frequency or circumstances surrounding them. At times she still found it hard to belive that it was all real, but the latest turn of events however was enough to confirm that none of it was purely fantasy. EJ sitting hopelessly in jail here in Australia while she was on the verge of being whisked back to the states later that evening was hardly her idea of a happily ever after for any of them.

As if reading her thoughts, Belle once more sought a different answer to the unpleasant information her mother had laid on her earlier. "Why do we have to go to America? Why can't we just stay here with daddy?"

Nicole frowned. "I wish there was an easy explanation, princess." Well, there WAS an easy explanation, but it would take one who was already familiar with the shady dealings of one Victor Kiriakis to understand.

The tears beginning to well up in her daughter's eyes were unbearable to see. Anger began to pulsate throughout her entire body as she recalled the overheard conversation between Brady and Victor which had confirmed all her worst fears about exactly what would happen once Brady discovered he had a son. Sawyer was to come home and live with his father in the Kiriakis mansion. Naturally, those would be Brady's wishes, but it was also Victor's demand. In fact, she should consider herself lucky that Victor agreed to let her and her other children stay there for Brady's sake. Otherwise, she was sure old man Kiriakis would have whisked her son away the moment he'd arrived in Australia, not even thinking twice about not letting her say goodbye. She was afraid that any attempt to explain this to Belle would result in her daughter blaming her baby brother for their predicament, but Belle was a brave little girl with some big-girl responsibilites weighing heavily on her shoulders and, for that, Nicole could not deny her the truth.

Belle listened intently as her mother likened the man named Victor to Cinderella's wicked stepmother and explained that while they were staying with Brady in his home, they would be expected to abide by his rules. It was the only way they could all be together, at least for now. Sawyer's great-grandpa would take him away from them as well if they didn't stay at the mansion, and the last thing their fragile little family needed was to lose another member. She understood perfectly, and not once did she express a single word of resentment toward the baby brother who she adored. Nicole couldn't have been more proud of the tight-knit bond her beloved family had managed to form within such a small span of time, and it wasn't the least bit narcissistic to say that EJ and herself had made that happen.

"Alexander? Are you ready to go see your daddy? What are you going to give to him?"

Alexander. Yes, her son, formerly known as Desmond, formerly known as Alexander, upon being told that he no longer had to pretend he was not Alexander, firmly stated his desire to retain his original name. When he had expressed to Nicole that he had been named after his beautiful aunt Alexandra who was watching over him in Heaven, she could hardly refuse his request. Lexie, although they never exactly got along, was the only other member of the DiMera family besides Chad and EJ himself who deserved such an honor. Anyone else and she would have to put her foot down.

Her little boy hopped excitedly into her lap and bombarded her with the same barage of kisses that his big sister had just delivered moments before. With Alexander, she had kept his instructions simple. "Tell your daddy I love him, but promise mommy you won't tell anyone else, ok?" He agreed, and independently sought to seal the secret pact the tried-and-true, DiMera family way: with a pinky swear.

After exchanging a brief greeting with Nicole and offering an itinerary of the impending visit to the prison, Rafe Hernandez escorted two very excited siblings away to see their father.

EJ. The man had been the bane of his existence ever since he set foot in Salem. EJ DiMera had systematically destroyed the lives of just about every person that he'd ever cared about, not to mention his very own on many levels. And now...now here he was feeling sympathy for the guy. Well, not exactly sympathy for EJ per se, but certainly for the people who loved him. When they were not crying for him, his arch-enemy's children shared seemingly endless tales of happy times with both him and their mother here in Australia. They hardly fit the decription of the traumatized family the ISA was trying to sell to the general public in effort to restore their long-failing reputation. But as shaken as he knew the children were about their father's detainment, nobody was hit harder than Nicole.

She didn't need to verbally share her feeling on the subject. He could see it in her eyes and mannerisms the stress that the entire sordid situation had thrust on her shoulders. There was no way in hell she deserved to be punished for anything that happened and, in all honesty and even though it hurt to admit it, neither did EJ. Not now, not for this. The ISA was so hungry to put a DiMera behind bars that it betrayed the one very thing the organization promised the citizens it served: justice.

To make matters worse, she was getting grief from Victor over Sawyer's living arrangements. He knew very well Nicole was being strong-armed into undesirable living arrangements, and there was absolutely nothing she or anyone else could do about it. God forbid Brady stand up and be his own man. He always ached to tell her that choosing Brady was a bad decision. Of course at the time the belief initially occured, he attributed his feelings only to jealousy, but perhaps there had been something more intuitive behind his doubts about the man-boy after all. Once again, Nicole was finding herself backed into a corner with no one to offer a helping hand. Well, that wasn't true, there was himself and he would do whatever he could to help her, even if it meant being civil to EJ DiMera.

"Daddyyyyyyy!"

Rafe watched with a heavy heart as Nicole's darling children went running into the arms of their father, whom was freely shedding tears of joy to match their own. He immediately stepped outside the visitation room, refusing to steal a minute's worth of the kids' limited, precious time with their dad.

"Oh my god, sweethearts, I've missed you so much!"

Both children giggled giddily as he dropped to his knees, pulled them both into his arms, and proceeded to administer a series of very animated and noisy kisses to their faces.

"We missed you too daddy," Belle chimed in eagerly on behalf of her, Alexander, and Nicole, of course. "Are you ok?"

"Other than missing and worrying about you all terribly, I'm fine. How's your mommy? Is she getting better?"

Belle nodded enthusiastically in response. "Yes. She gets to leave the hospital today."

"Thank god. That's fantastic news."

"I guess," she said quietly with her little face turned away from his as if she were embarrased by her own comment.

"Why do you say that, princess," EJ said as he gently guided her face back to meet his gaze.

He could tell she was trying her best to be so strong, but she ultimately lost the battle to the tears which began to cascade down her rosy little cheeks in steady, unrelenting streams. She finally offered and explanation as best as she could between sobs. "Cuz now that mommy's better, we have to go to America."

Although he sensed it coming from the very beginning, he could still feel his heart sinking to his feet upon learning the news.

"Don't cry, angel. Everything is going to be alright. It may not seem that way now, but it will. Life is full of challenges, sweetheart, and that's what our family is facing now. It's just like in the fairy tales. Just when Belle finally realized she had found true love with the Beast, that pompous, jealous coward Gaston swoops in and tries to tear them apart but in the end, Belle's love for the Beast and her faith in that love, saves the day."

"Do you think mommy is gonna save us all?"

"Yes, I do. Don't you?"

Finally, a smile once again crossed his sweet little girl's face. "Yes, I do, because mommy has a plan."

"I'm not surprised," EJ admitted, grinning proudly. "Did mommy happen to share this little plan of hers with you?"

Belle then proceeded to lay out the details designed by her mother, careful not to leave out any of the finer details, especially the kisses. He suspected all along these desperate times would call for desperate measures, but getting a forewarning of what was to come straight from Nicole herself helped alleviate some of the uneasiness of dealing with the unknown. Now it was his turn to do the same for Nicole as he kissed both of his children goodbye and reluctantly sent them on their way with very some very important instructions of his own. Of course, both were responsible for for delivering daily hugs and kisses to their mommy on his behalf but, like Nicole, he elected his eldest child to relay the more complicated messages. She was to tell her mother to be prepared for the worst because Samantha was not about to give up and, by the sound of it, was busily plotting her revenge against all those who wronged her. They might all hear things that upset them, or just don't make any sense, but he would not let Belle out of his embrace until he was completely confident she understood how much he loved them all and couldn't wait for the day when their family would be reunited.

"Sweetheart, please," he said softly as he kissed his little girl on the top of her head before peering down into her curious eyes. "One last thing. Whenever you see your mommy get sad, or angry, or frustrated, I want you to remind her of something."

"OK, daddy."

"I want you to give her a big hug and kiss from me and you tell her that she is my everything."


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Salem

Next Day

As the sleek, black luxury SUV wound it's way through the thick, tree-blanketed Salem hillside and Nicole caught her first glimpse of the Kiriakis mansion, she was struck with a sense of foreboding so strong that she instantly felt nauseaus. She couldn't resist reaching over to caress Sawyer's pudgy little cheeks as he slept peacefully in his car seat beside her, in effort to remind herself exactly why she was allowing herself and the children to be subjected to the unpleasantries that living in that hell-hole was sure to present. He was still so small and fragile and with his oxygen dependency and apnea struggles, there was no one in the world she trusted more than herself to care for him. Well, herself and EJ. After all, if it weren't for him, Sawyer probably would not have survived and she probably would not have slept a wink for the past three months. It didn't matter that Brady had hired an acclaimed certified nurse to serve as his live-in nanny, she simply would never be able to sleep unless he was no more than a few steps across the hall away. If he was a completely healthy baby boy, she would have been able to tell Brady that she loved EJ and would be willing to duke it out with Victor in court for custody. Brady would be a good dad, an excellent dad actually, and he would want to do right by his son. Therefore, She was certain they could work out some kind of a civil shared custody agreement, even with Victor urging him to fight for full-custody all the way. But that was simply a what-if scenario. The reality was that her son needed her 24/7 and shared custody right now in his current state was an impossibility.

She'd tried to find a way out. It's all her brain had been busy doing since returning to it's normal functioning capacity after Kristen's attack. She was confident she'd weighed every single option she had before deciding her course of action. She'd even made a last-ditch effort to erase and shred of doubt she had about her plan by expressing her desire to find other living arrangements for her and the children while they were back at the hotel preparing for the flight back home. Of course she did not mention her feelings for EJ, but instead used the approach that it would all be too much for the children and suggested she take Brandon, who had just recently moved back to Salem, up on his offer and move in with him instead. He'd been unbelievably understanding of her feelings, and for a moment she thought she just may have found an escape, but then he went on to point out her injury and how difficult it would be for her to care for the three children, Sawyer especially, until her arm had fully healed and at the mansion, she would have all the help she needed. On his knees, he promised to be on his best behavior. That was when Victor walked in demanding to know what was going on and when Brady explained that she had been having second thoughts about moving in, Victor very curtly explained, "OH GOOD! YOU CAN GO TO HELL AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, BUT MY GREAT-GRANDSON STAYS WITH HIS FATHER." From that point on, it was full-speed ahead with her initial plan although for Brady's sake, she felt truly regretful for what she was about to put him through.

"You see that great, big house peeking up over the trees over there," Brady piped up from his seat on the opposite side of Sawyer, shaking Nicole from the unpleasant thoughts which plagued her, but it was undoubtedly Belle and Alexander whom he had been addressing.

"Yeah," Belle said from her bucket seat immediately in front of Nicole's as she craned her neck to get a better look. "It looks like a castle. Does a princess live there?"

No, but a beast does! Nicole mused to herself. She would have said as much aloud if Belle wouldn't take it as a good thing.

Brady couldn't help but smile. It was a warm and genuine smile which revealed everything that Nicole knew Brady Black was made of. He was a good man full of good intentions with a huge heart. Really she was doing him a favor by screwing him over so royally that he surely would hate her for it in the end.

"Well, actually, I heard that a little princess who goes by the name Belle is going to be moving in there today."

He laughed out loud when Belle whipped her head around and stared him down quizzically with raised eyebrows. It was an expression that was a carbon copy of her mother's. "Yes, by the little princess I meant you. That is where you, your mommy and your brothers are going to be staying for a little while."

That's right, mister. Only a little while, Belle scolded him silently. She had promised her mother she would be nice to Sawyer's daddy, and he was nice and funny just like her mommy said he would be, but it seemed like the nicer he was, the more she missed her own daddy.

As soon as the SUV came to a stop at the crest of the circular drive just outside the house, they were met with an entourage of servants who immediately began to unload the small collection of suitcases from the back of the vehicle. A seperate van which would leave the airport behind them carried the rest of Nicole and the children's belongings which Brady had arranged to be salvaged from their house in Australia, including their puppy Pascal, much to Victor's dismay, who was forced to take the second trip since the driver of their car was highly allergic to dogs.

"Welcome home, Miss Walker," the kindly, elderly gentleman with twinkling blue eyes admonished her as she stepped from the vehicle.

"Henderson! Thank you, it's good to be home," she said with a poilte smile as she gave the loyal Kiriakis butler the hug we was beckoning for.

"HENDERSON, SHOW MISS WALKER AND HER LITTLE BRATS WHERE THEY'LL BE STAYING! I NEED TO TALK TO MY GRANDSON!"

They hadn't been there five minutes and already Nicole's blood was boiling. It didn't matter that she'd already warned and prepared her children for dealing with the crotchety old man they'd be sharing a home with, he had no right speaking to innocent children that way, even if they were the product of two of his worst enemies. She knew exactly what he was doing however, and was not about to let him win. Nothing he could say or do could forcer her to walk out of that mansion and leave her son behind.

"Victor!"

"Grandad!"

The patriarch of the family found himself being scolded simultaneously by his two otherwise strongest supporters, Brady and now his own wife, Maggie, who was just joining the group. Nicole simply chose to flash him a satisfied, triumphant grin.

"Nicole, excuse him please," Maggie said as she grabbed her around the waist and hugged her. "It's wonderful to see you, dear. Welcome home, to you and your little ones."

"Thank you," Nicole found herself replying politely although she internally questioned the sincerity of the gesture. Maggie was just one of those old-fashioned, so-called 'ladies' who was polite purely out of practicing what she was taught was 'good manners.' Once your back was turned she wouldn't hesitate to trash-talk you amongst a pack of her like-minded little biddies.

She suddenly felt something attaching itself to her leg, and looked down to find Alexander hugging it tightly, attempting to bury his sweet, bashful little face for protection. Her hand instinctively went to his head where she touseled his thick head of hair with her fingertips as she often did for comfort. He was scared and he missed his daddy and unlike his big sister, he didn't fully comprehend what was going on.

"Whatever it is can wait, granddad," Brady finally acknowledged after the round of scoldings for Victor was complete, stepping between the intense stare-down intended for Nicole with Sawyer in his arms. "I will show Nicole and the children to their rooms. I think we could all use a little quiet time right now."

"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea, Brady," Maggie chimed in in his defense. "I think some rest is exactly what you all need. We'll all have plenty of time to get acquainted later," she said sweetly, indicating both Belle and Alexander with a jovial wink. "We'll be having dinner at six so that'll give you a few hours to just relax, and dinner will be just us and the couple of guests that we discussed."

"Wait, what guests," Nicole interjected with protest. "Brady, I-"

"Don't worry," he began to reassure her, approaching her armed with Sawyer whom he knew very well would soften her defensiveness. "I wouldn't have agreed to it if I didn't know for a fact these are two people you'll be very happy to see."

There were only two people she could think of that she hadn't already seen, with the obvious exclusions of EJ and Sydney whom she knew for a fact were both in Australia, that she would even care to see at all. She only hoped they had the same two people in mind.

"I suppose you don't intend to share who these guests might be?"

"Well, I promised I would keep it a surprise but I'm pretty sure you can figure it out."

Nicole smiled. If it was indeed who she thought it might be, the reunion was long overdue, with one of the parties especially. She began to look forward to dinner after all.

Brady, still armed with Sawyer, led them all up to the second floor and down the wing to the right which was typically the one reserved for guests of the mansion. Belle and Alexander were shown to rooms of their own though they were ecstatic to find out that there was easy access to each other's rooms through an adjoining bathroom. There were only basic furnishings in each for the time-being but Brady promised to meet with each child one-on-one to discuss future design options. Also, on each of her children's beds was a spread of each child's favorite stuffed Disney characters as a little welcome-home gift from Brady himself.

Nicole's quarters was actually a two bedroom suite with a sitting area, a concealed kitchenette, a luxurious bathroom, and two bedrooms which also had an adjoining door between them. In one of the bedrooms was a king-sized bed, a dresser and a chest in additon to three humungous closets which were like little rooms of their own. In a corner by a huge window overlooking the flower garden was an elegant but comfy-looking glider rocker with an ottoman where she could sit peacefully while she nursed Sawyer. Though she smiled outwardly upon witnessing all of Brady's thoughtful touches, her guilt laid heavily on her stomach, literally making her feel like she needed to vomit.

"You ok," Brady inquired, rubbing her back for comfort.

"Yeah," she chirped up quickly in effort to avoid further probing. "My arm is just starting to hurt a little."

"Let me just show you Sawyer's room, then we can put him down and you can get some rest."

"Mommy, your room is almost as big as our house," Belle exclaimed from the sitting room as she strayed from the pack and took to exploring on her own while her brother opted to remain glued to Nicole's leg.

"I know sweetie, try not to get lost out there, ok?"

Her words were laden with manufactured humor, but deep down she was worried. Belle reminded her so much of herself when she was a little girl, with fantasies of living in castles, and being treated like royalty. Materialistically speaking, it was hardly akin to the life they'd been living in Australia and she prayed that her daughter would not find herself being wooed by all the glittery things that Brady was showering them with.

"Here is Sawyer's room," Brady explained as he threw open the white, wide-framed, accordion-style door that seperated the two bedrooms, again revealing a room with just the basic necessities for now with design discussions to follow. "If there is anything at all you see we will need immediately, I will take care of it A-S-A-P. There is an intercom in here so you can call for Slavenka anytime, and she will have a monitoring system in her room and an app on her cell-phone which is linked to his equipment. There is also an alarm which will sound throughout the mansion if he is to need our assistance at any time. He will have many eyes and ears looking out for him at all times."

"Brady, thank you. You've really thought of everything. I know he's going to be well taken care of."

"Excuse me, Mr. Black. I am here."

Nicole turned her head to observe an attractive, thirty-something, brunette with a thick, indistinguishable foreign accent, wearing a modest white nurse's uniform standing in the doorway.

After making brief introductions, Nicole reluctantly allowed Slavenka to put Sawyer to bed, surveying her every move with her undivided attention. When she was satisfied with the care her son was receiving, she was finally able to offer Slavenka a gracious and sincere 'thank you' before dismissing her until further needed. Not that she was needed in the first place, but it was a first step in a necessary screening measure to make sure Brady had found the right person for the job.

"I've also relocated to this wing so I'll be nearby if he should need anything. I thought until you make a full recovery, I could be the one to tend to him overnight so you wouldn't have to get up."

"I appreciate that," she said, her smile expressing the same sentiment. "But it won't stop me from getting up too, you know. I can't let him out of my sight, Brady. If he cries, I'm going to be there. That's just the way it is."

"Well, I feel exactly the same way so I hope you don't mind-"

"No, of course not, don't be silly. I didn't mean that. You know you don't have to ask for permission to come to your son, ever." And that was true. Unfortunately it was a statement that wouldn't matter in the least to Victor. "I don't want you to feel weird about anything involving our son just because things have been put on hold between you and me."

The reminder of that particular situation was enough for Brady to quickly excuse himself for the time-being. It was extremely difficult for him to resist the desire to hold her, kiss her, remind her how much he loved her, but he had to, at least for now. At least until he could ensure that EJ would remain behind bars for the remainder of his miserable life.

He opted to take a stroll outside, avoiding the area of the flower garden which he was aware was right outside Nicole's bedroom window. ALthough he seriously doubted his whispers would carry that far, he couldn't take the chance of her overhearing the phone conversation which was about to take place.

"Hey, how's thing's going down there?"

"Super," the sarcastic voice who could only belong to the likes of Sami seethed back through his phone. "EJ is livid that Nicole fled back to the U.S. with you and he's all for my plan."

"Great news. When are you coming back?"

"I'll be a couple of days still. I want to give Johnny and Sydney a couple more days with their dad. Lord knows that'll be the last for a while, if not forever."

"Did you speak with the attorney that Justin suggested?"

"Yeah, he's drawing up the papers as we speak. He says as far as he's concerned, it's a done deal. Nicole won't see a dime of that money, not even for the kids."

"Good, cuz she's not going to need it. The only person she's ever going to need to rely on from now on is me."


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Salem

Later That Evening

Between the pain in her arm and the wheels in her head turning as she carefully considered her next move, Nicole spent none of the two and a half hours she'd been alotted for taking a nap doing so. Belle, Alexander, and Pascal however all managed to conk out surrounding her in the king-sized bed while Sawyer slept fastly in his crib in the other room just a few steps away through the open adjoining door. If it hadn't been for the absence of one very important person, she would have been most content. She wanted so badly to jump out of bed right this second and start putting her plan into effect, but above all was the well-being of her kids, something in which EJ would completely agree, and what they needed most right now was some time to unwind.

She reached for her phone which was laying on the corner of the bed at arm's length. The home screen lit up and displayed the time, 5:25. There wasn't much time before dinner and although they all could have used the rest of the day just keeping to themselves, it was also important for Belle and Alex to get acquainted with the 'family' and become familiar with their surroundings, especially since she would regretfully have to leave them to fend for themselves for at least part of the day soon enough once she returned to work.

She had to return to work. It was her only way to gain access to some unsupervised time away from home and work on freeing EJ, and it was going to be very limited time away at best. Aside from her scheduled on-air appearances and required daily staff meetings, her one demand to Miles was that he had to work around HER schedule, allowing her to do most of her work from home so she still had quality time to spend with her children and she could assure she would be home with Sawyer for his scheduled naps. He never made a peep in protest. She was now a world-wide celebrity and the station had been bombarded with phone calls and emails of viewers eager to learn if and when she would be returning. Of course the first story she would be assigned to cover was none other than her very own. She couldn't help but smile mischievously as she considered the many ways manipulating her audience could aid her in her quest. She had the sympathy of the world for the crimes committed against her and everyone wanted to hear her comeback story. But of course they couldn't hear the whole truth. She would save those juicy little morsels for the coup-de-grace.

She slid out of bed, slipping quietly around her still-slumbering children and stepped into the sitting room where she dialed the number she had made a point to memorize since she hesitated from storing any number which could potentially raise an eyebrow in her phone.

"Hello," the man's pleasant voice rang through the receiving end of her cell.

"Hi, it's Nicole. I really don't have time to talk, I just wanted to make sure we're still on for tomorrow morning."

"Absolutely," the man assured her convivially. "Same time we agreed upon before?"

"Yeah, eight should work. Just please-"

"I know, don't worry. I'll make it seem like we just happened to bump into each other."

"Thanks," she said, breathing a detectable sigh of relief into the receiver. "I know it all probably sounds very odd, but-"

"Hey, no need to explain, and probably the less you say on the phone the better as well. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

Nicole ended the call realizing a little too late that she had only nodded in response. She was taking a risk confiding in someone that she didn't even know all that well except for a handful of dates they went on before she'd settled down with Brady, but at least he was someone, a professional who takes an oath of confidentiality to boot, who seemed to have no connections to either powerhouse family. At least she hoped.

With that order or business out of the way, she gently woke the children from their nap and explained and demonstrated the process of dressing for dinner as it was done in the Kiriakis house. Belle was thrilled any time it would be suggested she dress-up, but Alexander was rather displeased with the dress pants and button-up shirt he was being instructed to wear considering his normal attire pretty much their entire stay in Australia had been shorts and no shirt whilst running around on the beach, just like his daddy.

At just five minutes to six, a soft rap came upon the main door leading into Nicole's suite. "Nic? Can I come in?"

"Yeah, we're all ready."

Brady popped his head in cautiously as if checking it was safe to proceed. "I just thought I'd help you out by carrying Sawyer."

"That's perfect. I'm sure you've been looking forward to the honor of introducing your son to our guests."

Brady nodded. "And I'm sure you've been dying to find out who they are so let's not keep them waiting. I know they sure can't wait to see you."

Although she could hardly wait, Nicole walked at slow and steady pace behing Brady who was leading the pack, but once she caught sight of the handsome devil grinning up at her from the foot of the stairs, she broke away and ran into his outstretched arms weeping tears of joy.

"Oh God, sis. You have no idea how happy I am to see you!"

She could feel Brandon's own tears soaking into the fabric of her shirt on the shoulder just below where his chin rested as he picked her up and spun her around, just like he had always done in celebration back in the day. It had been way too long since she had seen him, some two years had passed even before she supposedly died. It was a long overdue, emotionally-charged reunion for all, even those who only bore witness.

"I hope you know I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again," he admonished as he pulled her in for one last bear-hug before loosening his grip, his words still cracking from emotional overload.

"He means it," the sultry, female voice she'd expected to also be greeted with at some point, chimed in. "So much so that he even picked up and moved himself back to Salem."

"Hey," Brandon scolded Chloe playfully. "That was supposed to be my surprise."

Chloe turned her attention to Nicole, eyes all aglow with the tears of happiness shared with the others at the scene. "Believe me, there are plenty more surprises to come. Welcome home, chica."

While Chloe and Nicole shared a tender moment of their own, Brandon dropped to his knees in front of the blonde-haired little girl sending him through a time-warp back into his own childhood. "And you, pretty young lady, must be Belle. You wanna know how I know that?"

Belle nodded curiously, even though she almost found herself replying that if she was smart enough to figure out he was her uncle Brandon, surely he was smart enough to figure out she was his niece.

"I know because you look EXACTLY like your momma did when she was your age. I'm your mommy's big brother, Brandon."

"I know," she replied proudly. "Mommy showed me your picture."

"OK, I admit," Brandon began with the exaggeration typically used when addressing such a precocious child. "Your mommy did text me about a bazillion pictures of you and your brothers before-hand, but that doesn't change the fact that you are your mother's twin and I would be able to pick you out in a room full of dozens of blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girls."

Belle couldn't be any happier. It was her staunch belief that her mommy was in fact the most beautiful woman in the whole, wide world. Even prettier than every single Disney princess combined.

"I still can't believe this," Chloe cried happily after she was finally through hugging her bestie for about the tenth time. "Your babies. They're just so beautiful. I can't even imagine your reaction the first time you saw them. And little Sawyer, gosh..."

"Yeah, he's my little trooper," she replied fondly, taking a moment to steal an adoring glance of her son as he was in the process of being passed to his Uncle Brandon.

"I can't imagine how stressful things must have been. I mean gosh, you were thrust into instant motherhood, not that it's a bad thing, then being pregnant on top and having to deal with that lunatic. It's gotta be a huge relief knowing he's behind bars for good."

"Well, yeah, of course, but I really don't want to talk about him, ok?"

Nicole watched nervously as Chloe studied her eyes intently for a moment. There was a few seconds where she seemingly suffered from utter confusion but then suddenly her expression completely changed as if some riddle that had long been puzzling her had finally been solved. If it was any indication she was onto her, it wasn't a good thing. There was only one person in whom she planned to confide absolutely everything and he/she was not in this house. In fact, he/she had absolutely no idea what he/she was in for.

Desperate to change the subject, and quick, Nicole addressed the hint of a surprise that had been dropped just a few minutes earlier. "So, other than my bro moving back to Salem, what are these other surprises you speak of?"

"Well," Brandon began, bearing a rather sheepish grin on his face. "Believe it or not, your big brother finally found the one, and...not only am I engaged, the wedding is next week."

"OH MY GOD! Brandon!" Nicole ran to her brother and hugged him again. It seemed that evening involved little more than a lot of hugging and crying from all who were present. "That's wonderful news! Why the heck didn't you bring her along?"

"I did," he smiled as Chloe slithered up from behind and looped her arm around his waist.

"Wait a minute," Nicole began, shaking her head in disbelief. "You two?"

"He was in pretty bad shape after your funeral."

"And she was pretty tore-up herself."

"We realized we were about to get kicked out of the bar so we went back to Brandon's hotel room so we could drink some more."

"We were the two most miserable drunks you've ever seen in your life."

"I knew he was a keeper when he took the bucket and let me have the toilet bowl."

"Eeew, EEEEW, TMI," Nicole scolded while playfully swatting Chloe on the arm. "That'll be quite a story to pass onto your kids one day, cuz you know you're having at least three, right?"

"Well, we know we're having at least one."

Nicole was pretty sure her friend was doing more than sharing their future plans, but it was Brandon's face that gave it all away. "Oh my god," Nicole gasped again, this time with her hands thrown across her face, shielding a huge grin as if it were too bright for one to bear looking into. "You mean I'm going to be Auntie Nicole?"

"The one and only."

As happy as Nicole truly was for both her brother and Chloe, and completely over-the-moon ecstatic about her future niece or nephew to come, as the evening progressed and even more tales of Branloe's romantic endeavors were unearthed, she couldn't deny the bitterness she felt inside. She had been the happiest she had ever been in her entire life just two weeks earlier, but she couldn't share her stories of EJ proposing to her underneath the southern lights, or his heroic actions when he was left no other choice but to deliver Sawyer on his own, with anyone. To even try to explain that statements she had given to the media were prefabricated by the ISA itself, and that she really loved the man who in the past had hurt her more than probably anyone ever has, or even better, convince them that HE loved HER, would be, not next to impossible, IMPOSSIBLE. Especially considering she couldn't deny any accusations that most of the choices she had made in her life had had pretty catastrophic results for all involved. Nobody ever believed in her...well, up until now at least. Her children believed in her. EJ believed in her, and they were the only ones whose opinion of her mattered.

Shortly after dessert was served, Nicole put her two eldest, exhausted children to bed while little Sawyer was still in the possession of his father who was not quite done showing him off for the evening. Brandon saw this as an excellent opportunity to finally have a one on one chat with his little sister.

"I thought you might appreciate a little fresh air," Brandon said as he flung an arm around her shoulders, offering a comforting squeeze as they strolled at a snail's pace down the garden path. "You know, some room to breathe."

"Yeah," she replied with a heavy sigh.

"You wanna tell me what's on your mind?"

"What? What do you mean?" She cringed at her own words. She could get away with playing dumb with a lot of people, but never with Brandon.

"Nikki, come on. You know-"

"OK, ok, ok, ok, ok," Nicole said as she broke free from his embrace and turned to face him with a look so intense he immediately was alarmed. "Brandon, look, I need you to do me a favor and just stop asking questions, ok, cuz I know you, and I know you know me, and I know you'll just keep probing and probing until you get to the bottom of whatever it is that's going on, and I really need you to NOT do that, ok?"

Nicole watched the color drain from her brothers face as he attempted to swallow back the large lump in his throat. "Nikki, you're scaring me."

"There's nothing to be scared of," she assured him, placing a gentle hand on his cheek to shift his gaze in her direction. "I promise. I'm afraid that I just can't tell you anything more, at least not right now."

Brandon shook his head disapprovingly. "You gotta give me something more to go on than that, sis. I can see that your stressed. I know you've just been through hell and all, but-"

"You really have no idea what I've just been through."

"It's that DiMera, isn't it. He's tormenting you, threatening to take the kids-"

"Brandon, please, don't try to guess what's going on when EVERYTHING you know about the situation is wrong. EJ is not a threat, ok? He's broke and he's in jail, and he's completely powerless. He is not the enemy here, trust me."

"So if there is an enemy, then you are in some kind of trouble."

"It's a bit more convoluted than that," Nicole said quietly as she pulled Brandon down beside her onto one of the many antique, wrought iron benches placed intermittently throughout the garden. "Look, no one is out to hurt me, or at least not to inflict physical harm in any way. If I can promise you that much, do you think you can just have a little bit of faith in me?"

"I wish you would just reach out to me, Nikki. Whatever it is that's going on, I want to help."

The offer was music to her ears. She was pleased to learn he was more than willing to lend a hand, relieving her of having to play her needy little sister card. Ever since the second she learned he was in Salem for good, she began to incorporate him in her plans as an unwitting accomplice.

"Honey, I am so glad to hear that because you can, and I could really, really use your help. I just can't tell you what is going on so, please, don't ask me again, ok? Maybe if you hang with me enough things will just start to make sense on their own."

"Yeah, well I'm gonna take you up on that."

"Good," she said hopping to her feet excitedly. "Then I'll see you tomorrow morning, seven-thirty sharp. I know the kids will be super excited to spend the day with their uncle Brandon."

"Of course, I'd love to but, you mean seven-thirty AM?"

"Yes! We'll start the day off with coffee in Horton Town Square. My treat! Oh, and of course, ask Chloe to join us."

"It all sounds super, Nik, but really...does it have to be seven-thirty?"

He was hardly bothered by the early hour regardless of how he carried on, and he was sure his chuckles were enough to communicate as much, but everything about his little sister's reply was strictly business and no-nonsense.

"Yes. It HAS to be seven-thirty," she informed him sternly as she paced an approximate ten-foot stretch before him, staring at the ground, deep in thought. "And please, don't be late. You don't want to disappoint your niece and nephew."

She had turned her attention to him and added a wink and a half-hearted smile to the latter part of her statement which the casual observer might easily overlook as pure jest, but to a well-conditioned, protective, older brother with a carefully trained eye, he knew it was her subtle way of letting him know there was a significant importance in the part he was about to play. He could only pray that, this time, his director knew exactly what she was doing.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Salem

Next Day

Nicole stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, then took one, long, deep breath in attempt to filter in every little bit of courage which might just be floating in the space that surrounded her. For the first time in over two weeks, she took her time getting prepared, making sure every single detail from her outfit, to hair and make-up was on-point. The long-sleeved, wine-colored, wrap dress looked so flattering that no one would even guess it was designed specifically for nursing mothers, and the champagne-colored, four inch, Gucci peep-toe heels helped polish the look. Being the one-armed bandit she was, she opted for a simple but classy 'do, single-handedly using an iron to capture a few locks and apply just a bit of loose curl to the ends of her long, golden hair. The only thing she could find fault with was that dumb cast and ridiculous looking sling she'd be stuck with for the next four-to-five weeks. Oh, and the look of total and utter fear of failure in her eyes. She knew she didn't have much time to begin the implementation of her plan, and her success or failure aligning her allies today would be the deciding factor.

"Nic? Where are you going?"

Her hand immediately went to the counter to brace herself as the unexpected voice caught her off-guard, causing both feet to leave the ground as she spun around in a panic to investigate the source. It was Brady, who thankfully had the reflexes to catch her when her arm failed to provide the stability she needed.

"Hey, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to scare you."

She was giggling now, but not out of embarrassment or relief as one might suspect would be the case. She was nervous. She'd been hoping to sneak out undetected before Brady even awoke. At least that was the ideal plan. Now she would have to explain where she was going, and why he was not invited, which of course wouldn't even be the REAL reason why, just some fabricated version to get him off her case.

"It's OK, Brady, you just surprised me. I didn't hear you come in."

"I see that. I'm sorry, I thought you might have overheard me talking to Belle. She let me in...I don't want you to think I just barged in unannounced."

"No, no, of course not," she replied, exaggeratingly waving her hands in dismissal. "I was just deep in thought, that's all."

"It's ok," he said soothingly, reaching out to stroke her arm in support. "Did you sleep ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I did, thank you."

"I'm surprised to see you up and at 'em already. Are you going somewhere?"

She could feel the sweat beginning to bead up on her forehead. Here comes the third degree.

"Our uncle Brandon is taking us out for breakfast, and then he wants to show us his house," Belle chimed in, earning her a grateful look from her mother.

"He is," Brady replied quizzically, though the person he sought an answer from was Nicole.

"Yeah," she chimed in anxiously, hoping to satisfy his curiosity quickly. It was seven-thirty on the dot, and she could tell by the rumbling of activity going on on the floor below, Brandon had arrived. "I think that's him here now." As if on-cue, a message from Henderson came through on the intercom confirming Brandon's arrival.

"Why didn't you say so, I'll get dressed and join you."

"Brady," she called out desperately after him as he was already heading out the door. The tone in her voice had made him stop dead in his tracks. When he turned around to further engage with her, there were tears in her eyes. He was pushing too hard. He didn't mean to upset her. Even with EJ thousands of miles away and permanently behind bars, paranoia was getting the best of him. It was just that he couldn't erase that damn picture from his brain; the one that Chyka had used to blackmail Kristen. She had actually looked happy in the group snapshot of the two of them along with their kids, certainly much happier than she looked right now. Marlena had assured him that it wasn't unheard of that Nicole could still have sympathy, even LOVE for EJ, if he was in fact using the children as a tool to control her; a case of classic Stockholm Syndrome at it's creepiest. It was this option that he had to believe.

She hadn't dared to talk about him much since the day after she woke up from the attack, and he hadn't dared to push the subject. In his opinion, the less they discussed EJ the better, but he wasn't so sure that was the best course of action anymore. Clearly, she was troubled, and if it was because she was struggling to come to grips with how she had been victimized by EJ, he needed to offer his help. If it was something, anything, other than that, he needed to get to the bottom of it, fast, and exterminate the source.

The silence was broken by a loud, rapid-fire knock on the door. "Nikki? I just about broke my neck rushing around this morning to make it here on time. It's seven-thirty-five."

Nicole brushed past Brady without saying a word and opened the door to her brother who was immediately alarmed by her distressed expression.

"Hey, I'm only teasing. Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," she insisted, her voice growing stronger and more convincing with each subsequent word. "I just need another minute or two. Would you mind taking Belle and Alexander with you and I'll meet you downstairs in a few?"

"Sure," he nodded blankly, shooting Brady a wary look before collecting his niece and nephew and heading downstairs as requested.

Brady began to shake his head with disgust which Nicole instantly assumed was out of frustration with her. The last thing she needed right now was to get into it with him. If she didn't make her appointment on-time this morning, she would likely have to wait until tomorrow and she simply didn't have the time to spare. "I'm sorry, I-"

"NO-" The mere two-letter word was spoken so forcefully and with such conviction that Nicole instantly swallowed back her words. "I'M sorry," he continued to explain. "That was incredibly rude of me. You and me...we're no longer a 'thing' and I have no right sticking my nose in your business."

Nicole shook her head to the contrary. Even though what he was saying was damn near one hundred percent accurate, she couldn't let him believe that what they had was over If there was any shred of doubt concerning her loyalty to him, she could risk herself being followed. Her relationship with Brady would simply remain 'on hold' until EJ was free and clear and back in control and Victor was neutralized.

"Honey, you weren't crossing any lines, ok? It's just that, you and me, we're in completely different places right now. You...you are ready for things to pick right up where we left off, and me..." her voice trailed off as she took a moment to conjure up some tears for dramatic effect. All she needed to do was imagine that her plans to free EJ would fail and they came falling freely. "I'm so confused, Brady," she said in barely more than a whisper as she allowed her head to fall to his shoulder. "I just want to do the right thing for my babies, all of them. I just don't know what the right thing to do is. They love their father. I just don't know how to tell them that their mommy doesn't, and that she loves you. They've been through so much."

Brady hugged her tightly. Her words were music to his ears and the ONLY thing that he needed to hear right now. He so badly wanted to kiss away her tears but avoided anything more than a friendly hug despite what his instincts wanted to do. It was for this reason that he was completely floored by what Nicole did next. Her lips were on his probably for a couple full seconds before his brain could even process what was going on. For a split second, he began to imagine that maybe she had come to some spiritual realization that she was just over-thinking the whole ordeal but when he began to kiss her back, she broke free and ran to Sawyer as she sobbed hysterically, then proceeded to try to pick him up from his crib only to be rudely reminded that it was an impossible task with the use of only one arm. Her sobs turned into fits of frustrated screams which accomplished nothing but making their little boy cry too.

"I just want to go talk to my brother," she finally managed to eke out between sobs. "All I wanted was somebody who I could talk to about you...and us."

There, that should do the trick. When all else fails and you need that get-out-of-jail-free card, stage a little drama. She felt guilty about the kiss, considering both EJ and Brady's feelings, but actions always spoke louder than words and she had been thrust into panic mode with little time to to consider other options. She needed Brady to feel confident that her heart was in the right place while still sending the message that she was nowhere near ready to pick up right where they left off. It was a two second kiss that no one else saw and considering the way she reacted to him reciprocating, she was pretty sure she just bought herself a good chunk of the personal space she needed to pursue her quest.

"Of course. Look, why don't you go downstairs and meet up with Brandon, and I'll bring Sawyer down for you, ok?"

"Thank you," she said as she attempted a sheepish smile. "I'm so sorry about-"

"It's ok," Brady shook his head dismissively as he pressed a finger to her lips to quiet her. "You go on and spend some time with your bro and we can talk later after you've had some time to think."

And she did just that. Well, she at least left with Brandon, and although she did have some time to catch-up with her big brother throughout the course of the rather hectic day, more of her focus was on two very important meetings, the first being the one she'd made for eight AM in the town square.

Because of the unexpected delay, she just barely made it to the square on time and, thankfully, was able to meet her contact before he resigned himself to the courthouse for the remainder of the day.

"Well, well, well, look who's here," Aiden Jennings exclaimed excitedly as he approached the table where she sat with her three children while Brandon, who was accompanying them without his partner for at least the early part of the day due to a nasty bout of morning sickness, fetched their beverage and treat orders from the nearby cafe.

"Aiden! Oh my god," Nicole cooed back with equal enthusiasm as she began her second act of the day. "It's so good to see you!"

"Good to see me? It's so good to see YOU, alive and well, and...a mom!"

"Yeah, thank you. It's great to be all of those things! Especially the mom part."

Aiden's gorgeous blue eyes twinkled with genuine delight as he eyed the three little ones surrounding the only woman to ever completely crush him upon being dumped. Unlike most guys presumably would though, he could never hold a grudge. He was just too nuts about her, and her frankness in explaining that she was 'just not that into him,' at least 'not in that way,' earned his respect and they actually continued to meet for drinks several times thereafter, becoming good friends in the process. Precisely the reason why he found her insistence they be as discreet as possible a bit puzzling.

"Aiden, hey, how's it goin' man," Brandon said as he gave Aiden a pat on the back, a gesture which caught Nicole by surprise.

"You two know each other," Nicole questioned her brother with a quizzical look.

Aiden was the first to offer an explanation," Yeah, well when Brandon came to town and I learned he was your brother, I introduced myself. He was always willing to chat with anyone who had stories to share about you, so we became friendly."

"Alrighty then, since I need to make no introductions there, then I would like to introduce you to my little ones," she said, beaming with pride in every word. "This is my first little miracle Belle, and this little man and big brother extraordinaire over here is Alexander, and this little guy setting up camp in the stroller here is Sawyer."

Nicole grinned as she watched Aiden kiss Belle's hand as if he were greeting a little princess, and exchange a fist-bump with a most enthusiastic Alexander but as precious as the scene was, she was ready to get down to business.

"Hey, Aiden, while you're here," Nicole began in a tone that immediately sent up a red flag to Brandon. "I wanted to know if I could off-the-record ask you a question about a story I'm going to be working on when I go back to work. Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure," Aiden played along nonchalantly. He had already deduced his requested appearance would be to provide some kind of legal advice.

"Hey, you mind keeping an eye on them for just a few minutes while I speak with Aiden?" She bit her lip nervously as soon as she was finished submitting her request to Brandon. She knew sooner or later she was going to have to answer to him.

"No problem," he replied, shooting her a look forewarning what she already predicted was to come. At least answering to Brandon would be a heck of a lot easier than trying to explain any of this to Brady. She truly didn't know how she would have managed this day if her brother wasn't there to help her.

"Alright, so...what can I do you for," Aiden opened the discussion with as soon as they settled down to a table out of earshot."

Nicole took a deep breath, then began. "OK, so, first of all, this stays between you and me, right?"

"Come on, Walker. If you want to make this official, you've got to pay up. Confidentiality doesn't come free, sweetheart."

Nicole smirked at him playfully and withdrew a crisp dollar bill from her purse, then slid it across the table to him.

"Very good. So now, as my client, everything discussed here remains confidential. What is it you want to know?"

"OK, so I'm sure you've heard that Stefano left his fortune to Belle and Alexander."

"Yeah, it's kinda all over the news."

"OK, so initially Kristen, as the children's guardian, would get a monthly payment in addition to her salary at DiMera for their care, and then when they turn eighteen, they get everything. Belle would get her fifty percent on her birthday, then Alexander on his. What I need to know is, is there any chance in hell I could get a hold of this money NOW?"

Aiden grimaced so animatedly that Nicole immediately knew his answer would not be the one she was seeking. "I gotta be honest with ya kid-no, and quite frankly, if no one has made an attempt to contest the will and you've been told that the children will in fact receive their inheritance, I would keep quiet about it."

"Why do you say that," Nicole said in a whisper as she leaned in to hear all the juicy details she had hoped to hear.

"Because, Stefano's will is full of loopholes that any one of those DiMera kids could easily wiggle their way through. For starters, it could be argued that the will is invalid because of the false identities used for the children. In that case, the estate would be handled as if there were no will at all and the assets could be divided equally between all eligible beneficiaries, or, if one contests and makes a good enough arguement for their case, then that person could stand to inherit all. It doesn't matter that we know whom his intended heirs really were. Sometimes something so small as a glitch in paperwork can undo everything." Oddly enough, he couldn't help noticing she seemed pleased with his response.

"OK, so say that was to happen. Who would stand the best chance of getting a hold of that money? Do you think EJ could?"

"Well, if he weren't in prison then, yeah...he'd probably have the best shot, unless there was some kind of verbiage in the original will stating that he was disinherited. That's the kind of thing that would stick with the judge ruling on the case. So as long as he wasn't disinherited, he would at least walk away with his share. The fact that he is in prison though makes it a bit more complicated. He himself cannot file any civil proceedings, but since he has dependents who would also be entitled to an inheritance if they were to deem the will invalid, his spouse could contest on his and their behalf."

"So why couldn't I contest on behalf of Belle and Alexander."

Aiden frowned again with a look that implored her to give it a rest. "Technically, you can...I would just STRONGLY advise against it. Look, another thing the judge might do is look at previous wills, if there were any. Your childrens' names aren't going to be anywhere on those documents, but EJ sure will be. And Chad, and Kristen, and Johnny, and Sydney. Nicole, I'm begging you...just leave it alone."

Nicole appeared to consider for a moment, much to Aiden's relief, but his contentment was short-lived. "Just one last thing, then I promise I won't bring it up again. Say everyone who is an eligible beneficiary decides to contest, and each person is fighting for one hundred percent of the assets. Can one person win it all, and who stands the best chance?"

Aiden was no longer attempting to veil his disapproval, and demonstrated so by a roll of his eyes. "Yes, one person could potentially win it all, but they would have to make one hell of a case. They would have to prove in some way that the ruling would be in the best interest of the estate, such as ensuring the preservation of DiMera Enterprises, or proving that another beneficiary is undeserving. Also, if that person comes armed with a proposal for distributing a fair share of assets amongst the others while still maintaining controlling interest, that would go a long way with the judge."

"Fantastic," Nicole replied as she hopped from her seat and gave Aiden a one-armed hug so swift he would have missed it if he blinked.

"Oh dear god, she's gonna go for it," he mumbled to himself as he watched her rejoin Brandon and company from afar. He didn't know exactly how she planned to pull it off, but it was sure to be a must-watch show with Nicole as the ringleader.

Belle was smiling brightly at her when she returned from her meeting. She knew Mr. Jennings was going to help them in some way, and by the satisfied look on her face, she knew her mother's plan was working.

"So, was Aiden able to help you out," Brandon inquired with an accusing raise of his eyebrow.

"Mmmm hmmm, immensely," she replied with a wicked grin as she finally got around to taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, why don't we go back-"

"Ummm, not yet," Nicole stopped him mid-sentence. It was more the impish look in her eye than the verbal interruption which made him groan in response.

"I have one more, eensie-weensie little favor to ask of you first."

He considered running. It would probably be in his best interest in the long run if he were to just get up and leave now and deal with her wrath later. In fact, that's probably exactly what he might have done if it had not been for his absolutely adorable, innocent little niece with whom he'd already fallen smitten with.

"Please uncle Brandon! You have to help us."

"Help you with what, sweetheart," he said soothingly as he lowered himself to eye-level with Belle. He was expecting to hear how he could help take them shopping, or running errands around town. He was not prepared for the overload of preciousness she was about to unload on her poor, unsuspecting uncle.

With wide, soulful eyes beginning to brim with sentimental tears, she grabbed his face between her little hands and pleaded her case. "Help us save our daddy."


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Salem

Same Day

"I hope to God you know what you're doing." Brandon leaned over to whisper in Nicole's ear as the group of them impatiently waited for an answer to the knock Nicole just administered upon the third floor apartment door of her next unsuspecting victim. His comment accomplished nothing more than earning him a jab in his side with an elbow, courtesy of his sister.

"Think positively, big brother. Think positively."

He was just about to make some snide remark regarding the outcomes of most of her schemes and how that affected his ability to 'think positively' when the poor, unfortunate soul made the grave mistake of answering the door.

"Nicole?"

He was surprised to see her, just as she suspected he would be. She just wasn't sure how his reaction would progress once the initial shock wore off, specifically why she'd instructed Belle and Alexander to deliver the initial greeting. It was her way of quickly demonstrating, 'I come in peace,' before they all got a door slammed in their face.

"Hi uncle Chad," they said in angelic unison, wearing ear-to-ear grins to boot.

"Can we come in?"

It was really more of a warning as Nicole didn't wait for an answer and paraded her way into the apartment with Belle and Alexander following immediately behind while Brandon pushing Sawyer in his stroller brought up the rear.

"Surprise," she said with as much animated enthusiasm as she could muster in effort to set the mood, but Chad appeared completely unaffected. She couldn't seem to read him at all which made her extremely nervous. "This is my brother Brandon, and this is your niece Belle, and your nephews Alexander and Sawyer." She bit her lip upon introducing Sawyer as Chad's nephew, praying to God he would have the tact to not make an argument to the contrary, at least in front of the kids.

"You look like daddy," Belle chimed in, saving the day once again as she began to approach him hesitantly with her little head thrown back as far as her neck would allow, offering her the best view of her father's equally tall brother. "Look, Alex. Doesn't he look like daddy?"

Nicole had promised herself she was going to be strong that day. It was a promise she found herself making on a daily basis ever since Kristen had shown up and disrupted her happy family. However, seeing her sweet little boy's eyes well up with tears as he nodded to confirm his sister's suggestion brought tears of her own, but she completely lost all composure when Chad dropped to his knees and opened his arms to his niece and nephew. She wasn't sure who was crying harder at the scene of the first-time introduction, Alexander or herself. Belle was teary-eyed, but her happiness shone through in her smile and for the first time, Nicole felt confident that her children truly believed in her. It was a bittersweet moment. After all, EVERYTHING she was doing was for them. All three of them.

"Who's taller, you or daddy," Belle inquired curiously, prompting Chad to return to his feet.

"Well, last time I saw him I think your dad might have still had an inch or so on me," Chad replied with obvious amusement. "But, I am younger than your dad and still growing, so I might catch up to him yet."

"You don't talk like daddy," Alexander, whose tears had quickly subsided once Chad had begun to interact with them, was quick to point out.

"Oh, you mean I don't talk like this," Chad began in his best mock-English accent, which was completely over-exaggerated and, quite frankly, just plain awful.

"Daddy doesn't sound like that," Alexander said, wrinkling his nose in disapproval.

"I know, I'm sorry, bud. Your uncle Chad sucks at being suave and debonair like your dad, but that's because we grew up in different places. I grew up here in America, and your dad spent most of his time growing up in England, and we're talking about two, way different cultures here."

"I adore England," Alexander informed them all, with a near-perfect British accent which surprised most, but it wasn't the accent so much as the introduction of a new word in her son's vocabulary which Nicole found most interesting. Her children had often attempted to imitate both their father's and the Australian accent for amusement, and there were even times she suspected they were mimicking her American accent since both of her children, though raised with English as their primary language, spoke fluent Italian and attended Italian-speaking schools, therefore inheriting a touch of the Italian flair.

"You ADORE England, do you," Nicole said, encouraging her little boy to elaborate on the use of his new word which undoubtedly was learned from his father. EJ was good for 'adoring' things. "Why do you adore England? Hmm?"

She had crouched down so she was eye-level with her handsome little man who was looking more and more like his father every day. Before she knew it, he would be just as tall too.

"Because that's where we met you, mommy."

Tears. Again. It was useless trying to fight them, but at least this time they were of the happy variety. "That's right, and you gotta know that that was the happiest day of mommy's life too."

"It's not mine," Belle chimed in to add her two cents, which turned out to be invaluable in Nicole's mind. "My happiest day is when daddy proposed to you under the southern lights, cuz that's when I knew you and daddy were going to be together forever."

"No, me too, me too," Alexander insisted, not to be outdone by his older sister.

Nicole seized the moment to steal a glance at Chad who looked completely bewildered. Everything he was hearing now was in stark contrast to what was being televised on the news. The only way he might know any differently was if he'd had contact with EJ, but judging by the look on his face, she was guessing the answer to that was probably 'no.'

"I gotta say, I'm pretty shocked that you showed up here," Chad said quietly as he approached her cautiously. He appeared to be slightly more at ease than when they'd first arrived which was a good sign, but she knew she was still far from being home free.

"Well, I completely understand why. Have you talked to your brother at all?"

Chad shook his head, indicating a 'no.' "I've tried to get in touch with him several times, leaving messages for him to call me, you know? He never returns my call."

"That doesn't surprise me considering the warden who's in charge down there," she said with a note of sarcasm that Chad failed to pick up on.

"Oh what, he's a pretty tough guy, huh?"

She considered explaining she was referring to Sami, but realized it was best to just let that one slide. Pity. She was pretty proud of that witty little jab at her nemesis.

"Yeah, well, uh...I just know it's been tough getting through. Have you talked to Sami at least? You know she's there with him, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, Nicole, I have talked to Sami. How do you think this is any of your business?"

There it was. Chad was getting the lowdown on the story alright, but his version of the story was coming from Sami which was likely far worse than whatever he was hearing on the news. Considering the source of the information he was receiving, she figured she was now about two minutes away from getting herself thrown out of his apartment on her ass. She could feel her heart beginning to race erratically in her chest. Every single element of her future plans relied heavily on gaining Chad as her partner-in-crime. She was not leaving his apartment until he agreed to help her.

"If you give me the opportunity to explain, I will tell you exactly why everything concerning EJ is my business."

Chad's expression softened a little. "Look, Nicole, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get snippy, it's just that this is all very upsetting to me. I realize you've been through a lot, and I know..." he paused mid-sentence so that he could approach her to deliver the remainder of his statement with the obvious intent of sparing the children from what he was about to say. In nothing more than a barely-audible whisper, he continued. "I know you're only here because you're worried EJ might get out of prison, but from what I can gather from Sami, that's probably never gonna happen."

"Why, what did she say?" Nicole's demand for information was anything but a whisper. Unlike Chad, she had no intentions of keeping anything a secret from her children. She wanted them to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that every single second of her life from now until the time EJ was free and clear, she was fighting for him, for them.

"Look, can we go somewhere else where we can-"

"What, talk," she said, shaking her head disapprovingly to his suggestion. "Anything you have say you can say in front of your niece and nephew."

"Nicole, no way, it's way too upsetting-"

"And it's also nothing but a load of crap," she interrupted determinedly.

"What? What is? You haven't even-"

"It doesn't matter what Sami said. You can't trust a word that comes out of that woman's mouth."

Chad took a moment to consider the accusation before offering his rebuttal. "I'm sure she would say exactly the same thing about you."

Nicole rolled her eyes as she heaved a frustrated sigh. "Yeah, and plenty of people say the same thing about EJ, but wouldn't you say you know him well enough to know when he's being straight with you? Can you say the same for Sami?"

"No...I don't know. Look, all I know is she said that he's-" he paused again, lowering his voice to deliver the last word. "Dangerous."

"Chad," Nicole began with an obvious unnerved tone in her voice as she approached him. She didn't continue to speak until she was at his side and threw her good arm across his back, drawing him in for firm, attention-getting squeeze. "You see those two precious darlings over there? You remember how happy and excited they were just a few minutes ago, talking about their daddy? Do those two cherubic little faces look like they ever lived in fear of their father? Did you not see on Belle's face how blissfully happy she was when she talked about the night EJ propsed to me?"

Chad violently broke free of her embrace, shoving her aside as he stormed across the room, prompting Brandon to jump to his feet in his sister's defense, if needed.

"Well, I can see you're turning into a hothead just like your brother." She was careful to make the observation sound more like flattery than an insult. In all honesty, she found most of EJ's little temper tantrums to be a turn-on, even the ones directed toward her, at least when they were only brought on by some silly disagreement.

"No, let me get this straight," Chad said as he began to walk in circles around his living room, now oblivious to the fact that his niece and nephew held front-row seats to his impending outlash at their mother. "You want me to believe that you and my brother were living some fairytale existence while, meanwhile, it's all over the news that you're referring to him as some crazed lunatic who kidnapped you and made you do exactly what he wanted you to do or he would take your children away?"

"No Chad, that's not what I want YOU to believe. But it is what I want everyone else to."

Chad shook his head violently as he pondered the idea. "Why? If you and my brother are so in love, then why do you want him to rot in prison?"

"I don't Chad. I'm trying to get him out of there and I have a plan-"

"Here's a plan for you. Why don't you just tell the truth?"

Nicole threw her head back in frustration and sighed. "Believe me Chad, I do understand how crazy this all must seem, but if we can just sit down and talk, and you let me explain, and you actually listen, I promise you everything will make sense."

Without saying a word, Chad sunk into an open cushion on the love seat next to Brandon, who had returned to his seat when he realized Chad no longer posed a threat, and was now cradling a sleeping Sawyer in his arms. "Hey, if it's any consolation, I'm just as confused as you are," Brandon whispered in attempt to offer an olive branch to the guy whose ass he'd just been ready to kick all of two minutes ago.

Nicole settled on the sofa in between her two eldest children, and withdrew a tablet from her purse which rested by her feet. "Are you guys ready to tell Uncle Chad a story? Let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

For the next three hours, Nicole, along with help from her son and daughter, recounted every single second of the near eight-month ordeal, beginning the past October when she had been presumed dead. With the tablet, she was able to access her photobucket account where there were literally hundreds of photos corroborating every piece of their story. Pictures of them playing on the beach, of the children being silly, Belle's birthday, and Pascal, Christmas, and of course, little Sawyer when he finally arrived. There were plenty of group pics courtesy of Natalie and Jeff, but as sweet as all the family photos were, her best proof laid with the photos taken of her and EJ as a couple, and the candid shots that they had stolen of one another. EJ was a wonderful father; something that even his biggest naysayers couldn't dispute, and no visual proof was needed to convince anyone otherwise. Convincing someone they loved each other however could prove to be quite the task, but as she poured through the photos of them holding hands as they walked on the beach, and kissing in the surf as the waves attempted to sweep them off their feet, and snuggled up on the couch together with her sleeping head on his shoulder and his hands so lovingly and protectively resting on her baby bump, and EJ leaning over Sawyer to kiss him on the top of his little head while he lay helplessly in his hospital incubator on life-support, she began to cry. She didn't allow the tears to hinder her story-telling, and although they were in-fact one hundred percent uncoerced and authentic, she was grateful for the extra dramatic effect they provided.

She wrapped up the story by clearing up all the confusion surrounding her media statements by explaining the ISA's desire to lock EJ away despite her insistence that she was a willing participant throughout the entire ordeal, and how they threatened to lock her up as well if she didn't let EJ take the fall, leaving her children parentless once again. Chad seemed to understand that she didn't need to talk to EJ to know that he wouldn't want that. She also believed that he understood her predicament with Sawyer, and how she couldn't reject Brady because Victor would take him away from her. Of course he would. Chad might not know Victor as well as some of the other DiMeras, but he knew enough to know that Victor and Stefano were cut from the same cloth, and Stefano had not only taken the children from her, but from EJ as well. She explained how shortly before she left the children helped to relay a few brief messages back and forth between the two, plotting their course of action and solidifying that they were working toward the common goal of reuniting. Belle even chipped in to demonstrate how EJ instructed her to remind Nicole often that 'she was his everything.' Finally, he seemed to understand that she was in no position to challenge anyone until all her ducks were in a row. Now, she needed to make him understand that she could only accomplish her goals if she had his help.

"What do you say, Chad? Do you believe me now?"

He was close, but there was still something plaguing him. Something she hadn't yet elaborated on. "What about Sami? She said he rants and raves like a lunatic that he wants his revenge on you, and he wants his kids."

"In his message to Belle, he told us to not believe a word. Just like I told him regarding me. That's if he even said that. Consider the source, Chad. Sami didn't want to have anything to do with EJ until she realized he'd fallen in love with me. That is the only reason she married him. She doesn't love him. She just doesn't want to lose to me."

She couldn't even believe the words which came flying from her own mouth. She didn't even remember considering this as a possibility, but as soon as she heard herself making the accusation, she couldn't help think of the old adage, 'the truth always comes out.' Holy crap. Sami was jealous of her, and EJ's feelings for her, all along. Sami, who had been the sun in EJ's universe, was jealous of her the minute she stepped into the picture, and you could only be jealous of someone if they have what you want, and for the first time it dawned on her, she had won EJ over from the very beginning. Of course Sami didn't really 'want' him, that was evident to everyone who witnessed their interactions, but she always wanted to be the center of everyone's attention, and losing that focus to anyone, and her especially, cut deep.

"Look, you always said yourself you've never seen him happier than when he was with me. Please, Chad. You have to help us. I'm not leaving here until you say yes. So what's it going to be?"

Chad began to chuckle as he stared up to the ceiling as if seeking the advice of a higher power. "You ask me as if I have a choice. I mean, really, what would you do with me if I said no? Kidnap me and lock me up in a basement somewhere until you could convince me otherwise."

"I guess I would have no choice," she answered in a seriousness that caught Chad off-guard. "We can't have you running around telling everyone I'm a crazy-person. I guess I just assumed you would want to help your brother."

Chad's eyes widened as he let out a nervous laugh. "I'm beginning to realize how much you and my brother are actually made for each other."

She flashed her most brilliant, triumphant smile, then sunk back into the couch to finally catch a rest from her hard-earned victory. "I'll take that as my 'yes."

"Yes, yes, of course," he exclaimed enthusiastically, earning him a barage of hugs and kisses from Belle and Alexander. "What is it you need me to do?"

"For now, you relax. Take the rest of the night and enjoy doing whatever it is that you enjoy doing, because tomorrow...it's all going to change."

"Change? What's going to change?"

"There's no time to get into everything right now. I'll stop by again tomorrow morning, bright and early, and we can get started then. Tonight, why don't you hit the bar, get a little drunk, and bang that sweet little Abigail Devereaux one last time, because tomorrow, the world is going to see a whole new Chad DiMera."

**Note: Although I absolutely adore Billy Flynn and his portrayal of Chad, if I had my choice I would still opt for Casey Deidrick's Chad for the sole fact that he more closely resembles James Scott, therefore I used his image in writing Chad for this story. I had many fantasies involving what I could do with both DiMera brothers, with those guys playing the roles. Nicole just might find herself in a couple of those scenarios herself in this story ;)**


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Salem

Next Day

Nicole climbed into the passenger seat of Brandon's SUV after they collectively saw Belle and Alexander off to their first day at St. Luke's School and collapsed into it as if was the first opportunity she'd gotten to rest in weeks. There was no rest involved in that action however; she was merely succumbing to the effects of total exhaustion. As if her morning of the previous day hadn't been activity-packed enough, when she and the children had finally arrived home late for the 6PM sharp dinner time at the Kiriakis mansion, she'd been subjected to being berated and humiliated in front of her children courtesy of Victor, then by the time she finally got them to stop crying and settle down for the night, she'd had to revisit the dreaded confrontation with Brady from earlier that morning. When all was said and done, she hadn't slept a wink that night. All she could think about was how she would repay Victor for upsetting her kids, and how she just let another man put his hands on her when she was hopelessly devoted to EJ.

She had no other choice. They didn't have sex, she still wouldn't allow that and never would, but he'd held her and kissed her and tried to comfort her and she'd allowed it. She was afraid if she didn't put him at ease, she would never make it out of the house alone for future endeavors, and privacy was essential in executing the majority of her plan. At least she could say that her tactics were successful, for she managed to gain his trust and convince him that she was ready to venture out on her own again today, or at least without his company, with Sawyer in tow, and without having to lie about where she was going.

She'd been completely forthcoming about seeing Chad; she had to be, and especially with another visit slated for today. She was 99.99 percent sure Victor was having her followed and wouldn't hesitate to use any discrepancies in her stated activities against her if she wasn't playing the role of the good girlfriend that Brady desired her to be. Introducing Belle and Alex to their uncle Chad was one of the primary reasons for yesterday's visit, so it wasn't like she was lying when she'd conveniently left out some of the finer details, like pleading for his help to bust EJ out of prison; she'd simply neglected to mention them. Her excuse for visiting him today was to discuss the role she desired him to play in her children's lives from here forward; one that wouldn't actually come to fruition until much later. In fact, today would be the last day any of them would be seeing Chad on a personal level for a while. Well, at least to Brady and Victor's knowledge.

"Sis, you look like shit."

"Gee, thanks," Nicole replied completely devoid of any spunk remaining inside. She was well aware of how terrible she looked if how she felt had anything to do with it.

"Why don't you forget about Chad and just come back home with me where-"

"No. We need to go see Chad, now."

"Nikki, I'm worried about you. You know I love you to death, but EJ? I already watched the guy break your heart into a million pieces half a dozen times, and now I'm supposed to be supportive of-"

"If you don't want to help me Brandon, you can drop me off right at this corner up here and I won't ask you for another thing ever except that you don't say a word-"

"Alright, relax, jeez. I never said I wasn't going to help you. God, you're a pain in the ass."

"Oh yeah, but you missed this pain in the ass, didn't you?"

Nicole couldn't help but grin as she watched her older bro struggle to supress a smile. He was the very first person she'd mastered using her manipulation tools on, and he was still the biggest, most lovable, sucker of them all.

They reached Chad's apartment and joined him at the breakfast bar where he'd apparently been up and sitting at for quite some time, at least long enough to work his way through a full pot of coffee before they'd even arrived. He was nervous and fidgety and Nicole could easily sense he was having second thoughts. To add even more stress to her predicament, Sawyer had begun to cry, reminding her it was time for a feeding. She was going to have to talk Chad off the ledge while also tending to her baby's needs but since becoming a mother, she had to say she'd gotten pretty darn good at the multi-tasking thing.

"I don't know if I can do this," he admitted, sparing her at least the grueling task of unearthing the problem.

"Why," Nicole probed gently, mostly for the sake of keeping her tone soft and soothing for the benefit of her nursing son. Otherwise she'd probably be up in his grill like a drill sargeant. "You're still not convinced this is what EJ would want?"

"Well yeah, pretty much. I guess that's it."

"Chad, honey, I'd be more than happy to suggest that you go to Australia and visit EJ and tell him exactly what we discussed and get his blessing, but we just don't have time for that, not right now. I need you to act fast. At least for the first part. Then, you know what? After you do what I need you to do now, you can go, I want you to go, and I promise you...you will get all the confirmation you need from him that it was the right thing to do."

"OK, so say I agree. What is this thing that you want me to do?"

"OK, well, first of all, I need you to reach out to the board of DiMera Enterprises. You need to talk to them and tell them that EJ has reached out to you. Tell them that he wants to regain control of the company and that, for the time being, he has given you instructions what to do."

"Are you serious," Chad asked with marked disbelief. "I can't see that going over real well. Isn't that Restivo guy in charge now that Kristen's in jail?"

"Ah, so you do keep tabs on DiMera. Tell me, Chadworth, haven't you ever seriously entertained the idea of stepping up to the plate?"

"No," he said quickly, grabbing his cup of coffee as he hopped to his feet and began to pace nervously. "I've never considered it and I'm not about to. That is what you're getting at, right?"

"It doesn't have to be like when your father was in charge. Besides, it would only be temporary. You'd only be acting CEO until we can free your brother. He is the one they ultimately want running the company, and that is exactly why they will help you. George Restivo especially is very fond of EJ, he's got a real hard-on for your bro. It is fact that DiMera has never been more successful than when EJ was in charge of things and if this guy hears that EJ is determined to regain control, George Restivo will wet himself with excitement. The business is failing, Chad, that was well-known fact before all this went down. Kristen was trying to turn it around but the reality is that Stefano and EJ were the heart of DiMera. With EJ back at the helm, DiMera would be profitable again. For that reason alone, these guys would do ANYTHING to put him back where he belongs."

"I don't understand why you can't go to them. Don't you pretty much own DiMera now?"

"Not me, Belle and Alexander do, and your father's will stipulates that the only persons authorized to make business decisions until they're legal age are Kristen or the members of the board. Besides, with everything that's going on in the media, they won't trust me. Like you, they would want confirmation from EJ first and we simply don't have time to jump through all those hoops. Even if they did believe me, we have the whole Victor dynamic that I explained before. If he knows I am batting for the other team, I'm going to lose my son. I can't lose him right now, even if it's only temporary. He needs me, Chad."

Chad's gaze drifted to the adorable, tiny little guy cradled in Nicole's arms, then looked away bashfully when he realized there was no way conceivable way to look at the baby without catching a glimpse of his would-be sister-in-law's exposed breast. Full and voluptuous breast at that.

"I still don't see how any of this would work. These guys were super loyal to my father. I can't see them going against his will."

"Trust me, they would have no problem doing so if someone were to deem the will as invalid."

"Who is going to deem my father's will as being invalid?"

Nicole couldn't help the smile spreading across her face as she imagined the reaction her revelation was about to get her. "You are."

"What? Why would you even want me to do that when you're pretty much set to end up with everything in the end?"

"There are several reasons, mostly to make sure that we beat out anyone else who might try to do so."

"Who else besides me-" All it took was this brief pondering for him to come up with the correct answer. "Sami."

"Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure she's gonna go for it and, if she does and you don't, she's going to win. She can argue that the whole will is invalid all because of the false identities established for the children, and I won't have a leg to stand on. Best case scenario, Belle and Alexander will still get their share, but the majority of the estate will go to Sami on behalf of EJ and Johnny and Sydney, and that would be a very bad thing for all of us. With EJ in prison, that would award her immediate controlling interest in DiMera Enterprises and god only knows what she would do. If you want my honest opinion, I don't think she even has an interest of getting EJ out of prison. With her family ties to the ISA, if that's what she wanted, he'd be a free man already. "

"I didn't even think you could contest a will so long after-the-fact."

"Normally, no, but evidence of fraud would override the statute of limitations in this case. This whole thing with the will is a ticking time-bomb."

"So why would they theoretically give everything to me over Sami and EJ? I don't have any kids."

"No, but you do have the privelege of being a free man, and one that doesn't have any kind of criminal record whatsoever, at least that I know of. Look, they will look at things like who has the best interests of the estate in mind, so we are going to come up with a proposal that is fair to all parties involved but lets you retain controlling interest of DiMera."

"Like anyone is going to believe I'm fit to run a company that Sami has already been in charge of. This is not gonna fly."

"Yeah, and the board hated every minute of Sami being in charge. They only put up with her to entertain EJ. This is why you need to get the board on your side first. You're going to need them to back you on this in court. You convince them that this is one hundred percent what EJ wants, and they will move mountains for you. They'll get you the lawyers, witnesses, whatever you need to win your case, and when all is said and done, y'all can work together on freeing EJ. He's gonna need all those big-shot DiMera lawyers, and they're gonna be pretty pricey."

"OK, so all these great ideas about how we're going to run DiMera which are supposedly coming from EJ himself are coming from where?"

"Yours truly," Nicole said, flashing him a brilliant smile. "Trust me. When EJ was here running DiMera and we were at our best, he shared everything with me. I know every single person on that board and how to work them. Who do you think was the one who saw to it that George Restivo's chubby little ginger-haired granddaughter got front-row Katy Perry tickets for her birthday? Me, that's who. And as far as the business side of things goes...you remember DiMera's best acquistion this decade? Do you know who put the bug in your bro's ear, and even suggested it might not hurt to wine, dine, and flirt with the company's CEO?"

"Hmmm let me guess. You."

"Yeah, You bet your sweet, skinny, little ass that was me. Which, speaking of-"

"Speaking of what? My ass?"

Without offering a verbal response, she relinquished possession of Sawyer to Brandon, then proceeded to circle Chad as she surveyed his body from head to toe. "This is going to need a lot of work."

"Excuse me?"

"well, we can't have you strutting into DiMera looking like you just rolled out of bed after playing video games for a week straight. You are in serious need of some new duds, and the hair...sorry babe, but it's gotta go."

Before speechless Chad could find the words to protest, Nicole handed him a small pocket-size notebook she retrieved from her purse, along with a long, white envelope. "In there, you will find all the numbers you need for your brother's tailor, stylist, hairdresser, manicurist, and personal trainer. You need to see them all today so they can get started working their magic. In the envelope shoud be enough cash to get you whatever you need. It's the kids' monthly allowance so spend it wisely. In the book also is all the numbers you'll need for DiMera. Ifyou call George first, like I said, you shouldn't have to dig any deeper."

"No, this is nuts! I don't even know what I'm going to say to the guy."

"It's simple. You tell him exactly what we just discussed. You tell him EJ wants back in and he's going to be using you to call the shots. You're going to give him the name of a company EJ told you to go after called Peyton's Place Designs. The owner of the company is Peyton Matthews who is one of the hottest up-and-coming home interior designers. There is a lot of buzz about HGTV showing interest in signing her on to host her own show. If that happens, by the time DiMera steps in and doubles her current product line, HGTV should be poised to try to buy DiMera out with an offer at least tripling DiMera's initial investment. By the time you're done explaining this, Restivo will be drooling. Of course you'll have to do your research on Peyton's Place. You're going to need to personally convince her that DiMera Enterprises is who she wants to side with so I highly suggest you start making Peyton's Place success your passion. I don't think you will find it a difficult task at all once you see Peyton Matthews."

With that comment, she took a moment to retrieve a photo of Peyton Matthews on her phone before tossing it over to Chad for inspection.

"Twenty-seven, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, absolutely stunning with a model's physique to match; if your tastes in women run anything at all close to your brother's, this fine little lady is right up your alley."

"She's gorgeous."

"Mmmm hmmm, the type of girl who can have any man she wants. Trouble is, she knows it too, which is why you can't let yourself be bewitched by her charms. She's used to getting what she wants which is why when you meet her, YOU need to become what it is that she wants, and you can't accomplish that by groveling over her. You show interest, yes. You go above and beyond to impress her, yes, but never for a moment do you let her fall under the impression that you alone consider yourself to be the lucky one. Look, I know so much about her only because Brady is trying his damnedest to close a deal between her and Titan. The dollar amount seems to be right but she's looking for more than just a financial backer. I think the reason she's reluctant to make a decision is because she's also doing a little future husband prospecting along with it. If you can manage to woo her, I think we can win her over without having to go too far above and beyond Titan's offer, which is pretty substantial I might add."

"I can't get Abby to go out with me half the time. How the hell am I supposed to impress this Peyton chick."

"We'll work on it. Relax. My entire future is in your hands so you don't have the option of screwing up. I will see to it that you are well-prepared for the occasion. I wouldn't worry about facing the board. Dealing with those guys is gonna be a breeze compared to working Peyton. I need you to channel all your energy and focus into making Chad DiMera the object of her affections."

"This is crazy."

"I know. And it's gonna get even crazier because after today, I can't see you. At least not here, or anywhere out in public. I'm working on an idea where we can meet at least once a week but for now, I need you to take all this and run with it, on your own, and don't you dare mention to anyone that I'm in any way involved. When you petition to contest the will, I'm gonna have to fight you in court because that's what is going to be expected of me and from there on, our short-lived friendly relationship goes down the drain. No one can know we're working together so I need you to keep an open mind and remember that how I act publicly is only an act. Trust me, Chad, no matter what happens or what anyone tries to make you believe, I am on your side and EJ's side. Even when we pull everything off and get him out of prison, the battle won't be won just yet. I have to make sure that Victor doesn't stand a chance in hell of taking my son from me, and for that reason, no one can know I'm team DiMera until the timing is right."

"And when will the timing be right?"

The smile which began to spread across her face bore an eerie resemblance to the kinds Chad had seen on the faces of his father and brother when they were clearly up to no good. If he had any doubts before, her expressional alone was all the proof he needed that Nicole was a DiMera through and through. The words which accompanied it however completely sealed the deal.

"When I finally destroy Victor Kiriakis and everyone else who dared to fuck with me and my family."


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Same Day

Australia

EJ sat in a booth on the opposite side of the slab of bulletproof glass which protected the innocent from the dangerous criminals like himself, waiting for his visitor to arrive. He was certain it would only be Samantha, just like it was every other day except for the weekend days when Johnny and Sydney were allowed to visit, but he could always hope someone else might be able to sneak in a visit. He had been fantasizing non-stop of such a scenario since the onset of his incarceration, but it was a very different dream than one might imagine coming from a prison inmate. Although the idea certainly did intrigue him, the Nicole in his fantasy was not wearing some skimpy little number with high heels and heavy makeup and doing a sexy striptease for his benefit behind the glass. There was no glass divider in his dream, and there was really nothing significant to mention about her clothing and makeup besides the fact that she was indeed wearing both. The heart of the fantasy revolved around her jumping into his arms and him holding onto her so tight that nothing or no one could separate them; not even every single guard in the prison pulling with all their might. The last time he had seen her, she was lying in a pool of her own blood with her head bashed in, unconscious and barely breathing. Even though he knew she was fine now he still felt the need to see it for himself. It was a terrible last memory to have of the woman he loved more than anyone in the world.

Alas, his fantasy was officially shattered when Samantha stormed in in her usual frantic manner, throwing her purse down on the small countertop before her before taking a seat. How he could have ever let such a graceless woman come between him and Nicole was a mystery and he had seriously entertained the theory several times that just maybe his father had been controlling his mind somehow all along. Really, as crazy as it sounded, it was a perfectly plausible possibility when you considered the players.

"Hello darling," he murmered into the receiver with all the faux enthusiasm he could muster. "You look awful excited about something."

"Oh, I am," she replied with the same seemingly perpetual smug expression as always. "I've got good news."

"You got them to drop all the charges and I'm free to go?"

"Sorry honey," she cooed with at least an attempt at showing remorse. "You know I'm trying, but the ISA just won't budge. And Nicole ranting and raving about what kind of monster you are isn't helping your case one bit. But this will make you feel better. Are you ready for the good news?"

"Yes, please. I need to hear something good." Although he was aware Nicole was merely adressing the media the way the ISA was expecting her to, it was hard hearing those words coming from the one woman whom he was completely incapable of hurting, at least intentionally.

"Right about now, Nicole should be getting served. She's not going to stand a chance at ever controlling that money or DiMera Enterprises. As far as my lawyer is concerned, she doesn't stand a chance of walking away with anything except for what we agreed she would get for Belle and Alexander, for as long as she still has them, that is. "

EJ squeezed his fists so tightly that he actually felt what little bit of fingernails he had digging into his palms. He rarely had the urge to hit a woman with the intent of doing serious physical harm, but he was consoled by reminding himself that whatever Samantha was wasn't human and therefore could not be considered a woman either. This 'agreement' she spoke of was hardly any kind of cooperative decision between the two; it was merely him going along with whatever sneaky scheme her twisted mind cooked up with the hope that demonstrating he was now Team Samantha once more would motivate her to focus on getting him released. Problem was, he was sure she really wasn't buying any of it and was only playing along for her own amusement. Instead of spending her time figuring out how to free him, she was coming up with new ideas for how she should torture Nicole, and he was pretty sure she experienced something close to an orgasm while she described to him the many ways she planned to stick it to her. Now apparently it seemed she was cooking up some kind of plot to take Belle and Alexander away from her. The glass divider played the role of his savior today for he was certain that if it hadn't been there he wouldn't have merely hit Samantha, he would have leaped across the counter and choked the beast to death with his bare hands.

He had to steer the conversation away from anything concerning Nicole and the children. He couldn't let Samantha get to him like she was trying to do. He took a deep breath and began to internally repeat the mantra which would see him through, Nicole will figure it out. Nicole will see us through. Nicole is smarter than Samantha.

"Did you talk to George Restivo? what did he think of your proposal?"

Samantha rolled her eyes. "Well, he's not too keen on the idea of me running the business," she lied. Who knows, maybe he wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of her being in charge but she would never really know the answer to that question since the only thing she'd discussed with George Restivo was the possibility of him and the other board members buying her out when she won controlling interest of DiMera Enterprises. "The board is going to have another meeting to discuss, but he thinks it's too risky for either one of us to get involved with DiMera again considering yours and Kristen's recent activities. He thinks our best option is to just sell your shares and invest the cash." Well, Restivo might not have come up with that idea, but he certainly didn't object to her proposal.

Bullshit. Every last word was nothing more than Samantha's very own brand of utter bullshit. George Restivo never so much as flinched at any DiMera's entanglements with the law and even though his disapproval of Samantha running things wasn't at all surprising, his supposed veto to the idea of himself calling the shots, was. Desperation was beginning to get the better of him. If Nicole didn't figure out something, and fast, Samantha was poised to do some serious damage. He had to get out of there, or at least find some way to warn Nicole.

Reaching out to people other than those who chose to visit him wasn't an easy task. He could make phone calls, but only by using a pre-paid phone card, which Samantha had insisted he didn't need since she'd be more than willing to make all calls on his behalf, or by calling collect which wasn't really even an option considering his only desired contacts were in the U.S. It didn't stop him from at least trying; he'd struck out on an attempt to reach Chad, discovering that his number had changed since the last known contact number for him. When he'd asked Samantha for his brother's new digits, she simply offered to relay whatever message it was he wanted delivered, coughing up some lame excuse about how ridiculous the calling card rates would be for the international call even though she could well afford the expense. He'd also tried his luck reaching Geroge Restivo himself at DiMera Enterprises, but since the guy was damn near impossible to get in direct contact with on the phone, his calls never made it past either his secretary or the voicemail greeting at his direct extension and since he'd had no other choice but to try and call collect, there was no option of leaving a message. His one last hope had laid with the only two people that he had gotten to know well in Australia, former friends and neighbors, Natalie and Jeff. He'd tried on at least three seperate occasions to reach them at home and of the two times that a live voice from either one had answered the call, they had rejected it. He had just about given up all hope when at long last he received an unexpected breakthrough.

After Samantha had her fill of taunting him for the day and left him with the semi-good news that she wouldn't be seeing him again for a couple of weeks since she was heading back to Salem to take care of business, instead of being escorted directly back to his cell as expected, he was informed of another visitor waiting in queue. Immediately his mind began conjuring up the familiar fantasy of seeing Nicole stroll through the door, but even though the reality didn't live up to the dream, he was hardly disappointed. It may not have been Nicole, but it was someone who might actually be willing and able to deliver a message or two. His old friend Natalie had apparently bit the bullet and decided to pay him a visit.

"Thank you so much for coming," he gushed into the receiver to an obviously skeptical, slightly fearful, Natalie sitting opposite him. If he was going to attempt to reach out to her for help, he was going to have to thoroughly test the waters first.

"Jeff would kill me if he knew I came here. I don't even know why I'm here," she confessed as a hint of tears began to glisten in her eyes.

"Well, I'm sure that this is all very confusing for you. I wouldn't really expect you to feel any other way." He paused for a moment to choose his next words carefully. "Especially when what you're hearing now is in stark contrast to what you actually witnessed yourself." It was a tried and true manipulation tactic to tell someone how they are thinking rather than let them come to some conclusion on their own.

Tears began to stream down Natalie's cheeks as she nodded in agreement. "I don't understand what is going on. Even after I figured out who you and Sarah-I mean Nicole, really were, I never expected this. The two of you seemed to be so much in love, but now she's saying you held her against her will, and you were using the kids to do it. It just doesn't make any sense. None of it."

EJ's heart began to throb out of control from the state of elation brought on by Natalie's statement. He wasn't going to have to do anything to convince her he loved Nicole; she was already an EJole believer. Instead he could spend this very precious, limited time with Natalie laying out the facts. He explained everything from start to finish, digging way deeper into the past than might even be necessary, starting before he even met Nicole. He provided brief but rather telling summaries of their individual upbringings, taking time to address Nicole's pertinent rivalry with Samantha, then finally brought things more up-to-speed by describing when they first met and fell in love and the horrific way their children had been snatched from them before even touching on the recent chaos involving his supposed death and subsequent discovery of the children's kidnappings, Kristen and her crazy ass, the ISA's manipulations of him and Nicole, and everything else in between. Finally, he wrapped things up with the threat of Nicole losing Sawyer to the Kiriakis family with the aid of their many supporters if she didn't swear off all things DiMera for the remainder of her life and remain at Brady Black's side. By the time he was through, they were both crying.

"Since this is all obviously news to you, I take it you haven't talked to Nicole," EJ probed gently.

"I've been too ashamed to reach out to her. This is all my fault."

"That's not true, you know. Your phone call probably saved our lives so I find it hard to feel anything but grateful. I'm sure Nicole feels exactly the same way."

"You haven't had a chance to talk to her at all, have you?"

"Not directly, no. Only through the children which I told you about earlier."

"I might be able to make that happen."

EJ's eyes lit up like a spoiled-rotten kid on Christmas morning. "Are you serious? That's great, that's WONDERFUL, but...it's not as easy as it sounds either. Like I said, Nicole is probably being watched like a hawk. Discretion is a must."

"I know. Nicole and I do the same thing for a living, remember? I'm used to finding creative ways to speak to informants. I'll work something out, I just can't promise how soon. In the meantime, I'm pretty sure I can relay an inconspicuous message or two."

"Natalie, you are an angel. If you do this for me, I promise you when all this is finally over, I will repay you handsomely for any favor I ask."

"Oh you bet you will," she replied with a wink. "Now that I know you and Nicole are worth billions, I won't settle for less than the two of you treating me and my family to some fine dining at the Outback Steakhouse. As long as you agree to that, what is your first request?"

"I need to warn her that Samantha is about to make a move, but we can't get too wordy. It's gotta sound like a casual comment as opposed to a warning. I want you to tell her that you heard from Dick Pounder that Samantha DiMera has taken an interest in taking over DiMera Enterprises. She'll know that means Samantha is trying to get a hold of the children's inheritance, and she'll know beyond a shadow of a doubt this information is coming directly from me."

Natalie couldn't help a chuckle. It didn't take a rocket scientist to determine the origin of the name Dick Pounder was of personal significance to the two of them. She might have heard just a little bit about some of their interesting bedroom activities from her friend although she didn't dare elaborate for EJ. "Alright, anything else?"

EJ smiled sweetly. "Yes. Her birthday is coming up. I want to send her something she will know came from me. Is it too much to ask-"

"Flowers should do the trick. I heard through the grapevine she's expected back at work any day. She'll likely be getting plenty of gifts from fans and random sympathizers so I'm sure a fairly nice arrangement sent to the TV station from one of her admirers wouldn't be unheard of. What should the card say?"

EJ smiled gratefully. "Happy Birthday to the strongest, most beautiful woman in the world. I have been your biggest fan ever since I first laid eyes on you, and I even had the pleasure of meeting you once when you came into my parlor for a massage. Best of luck to you and your family in your future endeavors. I know you will be successful in whatever you do. Fondly, Sven."

Natalie was swooning as she watched EJ relay his message. He was a poster-boy for a man completely and hopelessly enamored by the woman of his dreams and although she always considered her relationship with Jeff a healthy and happy one, the only time her husband had uttered a word to her which came even remotely close to EJ's proclomation of love for Nicole, and an edited one at that, was in her fantasies. It wasn't only his words of course which made her weak in the knees; it was the way he glowed when he talked about her. It was a magnificent display of total adoration that she felt priveleged to behold.

After weeks of uncertainty, she had finally come to the conclusion that there was indeed a heinous crime that had taken place but, unlike what the ISA wanted everyone to believe, EJ was every bit as much a victim as Nicole, and no one knew the full story behind their suffering. As a journalist, she saw it as her duty to see to it that the truth be exposed, but she would merely play a supporting role to a fellow journalist more deserving of the limelight once the story was ready to break, and that individual was her hopefully still-good-friend, Nicole Walker.


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Salem

Two Days Later

Nicole plopped down behind her old desk at Titan TV with an exasperated sigh. It had already been quite a hectic morning; after getting the children ready for school and dropping them off, she and Brady met with his lawyers to discuss how they were going to fight Sami in court to retain the children's inheritance. Then, after a little welcome back/Happy Birthday reception at the station in her honor, it was right back to business as usual. She was grateful to catch a momentary breather before delving right into her first assignment, which turned out to be none other than a feature on her very own story. She had yet to appear on camera to give her statements anywhere, partly out of loyalty to her Titan TV family, but mostly because she wanted the world to grow hungry to hear it so they would savor every single word. Of course the really juicy part of the story would be saved for last, and that would be the day when she would finally be prepared to shock the world with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...well, with maybe just a bit of the usual DiMera spin on things, of course.

She was already well-prepared for her first of the thirteen agreed-upon installments. Her story was to be told in a special weekly segment to air during the last fifteen minutes of the six o'clock news every Thursday. That gave her plenty of time to start from the beginning, and there simply wasn't a better place to start than to give the world their first proper introduction to who Nicole Walker really was. For the first time ever, she would publicly speak of the abuse she suffered as a child, and even managed to recruit Brandon, Taylor, and Abe Carver to appear on-camera to give their testimonies. She never thought she'd see the day where she would use her past to gain sympathy; she'd always prided herself on being a survivor and never wanted to be defined as a victim however, for now, victim was the role the world wanted her to play and who was she to disappoint? When all was said and done, the survivor in her would finally get her chance to shine through.

With Brandon, Taylor, Abe's, and her own testimonies already lined up to film, her own before she would leave the station this morning, Brandon and Abe's later that afternoon, and Taylor's for first thing tomorrow morning since her flight wouldn't arrive until late this evening, she elected to shift her focus to the more important things in her life; her family. She reached into her bag and withdrew the four items she'd triple-checked to make sure she hadn't forgotten, then arranged them carefully on her desk. They were framed photographs of each individual child and one family photo featuring all of them together. Well, all but one, and in the place which should be reserved for EJ was Brady Black instead, who was smiling proudly while holding his son while Belle, Alexander, and herself tried their best to look happy. She would have much preferred to use one of the photos EJ had taken of them all but even though he wouldn't be in it, she didn't want to alert Brady to her secret stash of photos. If he knew anything at all about them, she was sure she would lose them forever and right now, looking at them constantly was helping to get her through some long, sleepless nights.

Satisfied with the arrangement of her pictures, she withdrew her phone and made a call to Brady to check on their son. Instead of your typical greeting, she found herself being serenaded.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birth-"

"Thank you," she interrupted, hoping to put an early end to his repeat performance from this morning but was alas unsuccessful. Thank god it was a short song.

"How's my birthday girl, hmm?"

"I'm good," she answered cordially allthough she felt like screaming, 'I'm not your girl,' inside. She had to remind herself again, like she did constantly, that Brady wasn't the enemy here, to calm herself down. "How's our little man?"

"Aside from missing his momma, he's doing good but I think he's starting to get a bit sleepy."

"Well, I'll be home soon. Don't try to keep him up or anything, but let me know if he falls asleep."

"Sweetheart, will you please just try to relax. I got this, ok? I've completed all the training courses myself and we have Slavenka here. Nothing is going to happen to him."

Again, she was growing irritated. Brady simply didn't seem to comprehend how she hated to let any one of her children out of her sight for even a minute, but he wasn't the only one who didn't get it. She'd already been scolded by Eric yesterday after she'd called to check on Belle and Alexander while they were in school for the fifth time and was pre-warned that he would not take her calls again today which forced her to resort to driving by the school every so often so she could hopefully catch a glimpse of them in class. There really was no immediate threat to their safety that she was aware of, but she had learned the hard way to always be prepared for the unexpected.

"I know you wouldn't let anything happen to him, Brady. I just miss him so much already. I can't wait to come home to him."

"I know, but don't come home too soon, ok? I need you to hang in there another few minutes at least, ok?"

"Why? What are you up to?" She found herself finally able to smile as she pondered the many possibilities. She missed Brady the thoughtful friend; it was his pushy counterpart that wanted her to marry him that she wasn't so fond of.

"You'll see."

Brady was smart enough to know to end the call right then and there before she could probe any further. She just had a way of extracting information from unwilling subjects. It was just as well. She had other important calls to make. Opting to use the office landline this time, she made her next call.

"Hello," the wary, sleepy-sounding voice answered on the other end.

"Chad? Hey, it's Nicole, I'm calling from my office phone. Were you sleeping?"

After some awkward rustling noises coming through the receiver, she finally received an answer. "Nicole? Yeah, I'm just getting up now. What's up? I thought you said-"

Nicole rolled her eyes and interrupted quickly by claiming to have another incoming call on her cell phone. She imagined she was just about to be questioned about the no-call policy she had laid out for him, but that was all based upon the assumption that he would actually follow through with his task. So far the only person to step forward and petition to contest the will was Sami; and she had really been hoping to beat her to the punch. He also wasn't too suave at playing the inconspicuous game. Her little apprentice still had much to learn. After a minute-long pause, she returned to Chad and redirected the conversation.

"Hey I'm back. Look, I don't have much time to talk but I was wondering if you could meet me in the square in about half an hour or so. I want to discuss something that's come up with you."

"Yeah, OK, sure," he responded, sounding clearly confused. Nicole slammed the receiver down in frustration and took another deep sigh, this time to calm her rapidly escalating nerves. She was almost to the point of throwing a mini tantrum by chucking her stapler at the door, but she was spared succumbing to the momentary lapse of self-control by the appearance of an innocent delivery boy at her office door.

"Excuse me, Miss Walker? I have a delivery for you. Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you," she said with a refreshed smile, courtesy of the two beautiful flower arrangements that were placed before her. One was a gorgeous display of some of her favorite flowers which she immediately knew was from Brady; dahlias and tulips accented with bluebells and jade vine. The other arrangement was two dozen flawless red roses, and it was this arrangement which drew her attention. Brady didn't like roses; he thought they were too pretensious and always opted to present her with alternatives, regardless of the fact that she had indeed informed him that roses, and red ones specifically, were her favorite. Although it was her preferred flower which drew her attention, she selected and read the card from Brady's arrangement, receiving confirmation that her hypothesizing was correct.

"Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady," she mumbled mockingly as she tucked the card back in it's plastic holder. For someone so bent on breaking the mold, he could have come up with a better sentiment for her card. "Nice try, Brady. Let's see if secret admirer number one over here came up with something a little more clever."

Taking a moment to breathe in the sweet air of the fresh rose bouquet first, she retrieved the second card which at first glimpse appeared to be coming from a fan, but as she read on, she found herself collapsing into the desk behind her for support.

Miss Walker:

Happy Birthday to the strongest, most beautiful woman in the world. I have been your biggest fan ever since I first laid eyes on you, and I even had the pleasure of meeting you once when you came into my parlor for a massage. Best of luck to you and your family in your future endeavors. I know you will be successful in whatever you do.

Fondly,  
Sven

Placing the card over her heart, she hugged it to her chest and began to sob, but it wasn't grief or sorrow or even self-pity that brought on the tears; it was the overwhelming feeling of joy one felt from an expression of love. The roses were from EJ. She didn't know how in the world he accomplished it but he was undoubtedly the mastermind behind the gesture. The idea that it might be some bizarre coincidence that she was in fact once massaged by some other dude named Sven was immediately tossed from the equation since she simply did not allow strange men to give her massages, even if they were professionals. She always would only allow a woman. She attributed it to after effects of being pimped out by her father. She just couldn't get past the idea of some random dude potentially getting off in her presence upon seeing her naked. It was icky.

She was immediately able to rule out who wasn't responsible. Sami was out for sure but other than that, she was clueless where to start. Maybe Chad had finally got a hold of him, but she found it hard to believe EJ would relay information like that over the phone since all outgoing phone calls made from the prison were monitored. The only other person she could pinpoint was Rafe, who may or may not actually be in Australia at the moment, but even if he was, as willing as he was to help her out on most occasions, she doubted EJ would trust him enough to confide in him. The whole thing was just bizarre.

"Those are lovely flowers," a tiny, foreign-accented voice commented from the doorway leading into her office. "Someone very special must have sent those to you."

"Yeah," Nicole said doing her best to keep her composure as she used the back of her hand to wipe tears from her face. "Well, just a fan, actually, but it was sweet nonetheless."

"He must be a huge fan of yours to send two dozen red roses. He must know you well enough to know they're your favorite."

Ask and you shall receive. The Case of the Mysterious Red Roses had just been solved. "Natalie. What are you doing here?"

"I just thought a visit to you was long overdue, and also very necessary. There is so much I need to say to you that I don't even know where to start, and I couldn't imagine even trying over the phone. I'm well aware that you might not even want to see me, but I hope you'll at least allow me the opportunity to get a few things off my chest."

There was a lot of subliminal hinting embedded in Natalie's carefully-chosen words and without any hesitation at all she nodded and grabbed her coat and purse and led Natalie out of the building and to the nearby park. Once she was satisfied they had their privacy, Nicole began her interrogation.

"You saw EJ, didn't you?"

"Yes, a couple of days ago. He's desperate to warn you about something but I was too afraid to say it over the phone or send it through email, even though he was sure it wouldn't raise an eyebrow."

"Well, what is it?" She was bouncing in place nervously as she anticipated Natalie's response.

"He wants to warn you that Samantha is out to get the children's inheritance."

Nicole frowned. "Yeah, I know, I got the papers. Is that all?"

"What are you going to do?"

"How do I know I can trust you? Look, I'm well aware that your little phone call put the ISA in the right place at the right time, but the fact remains that you gave us up without even approaching us about what you knew first. You didn't even give us a chance to explain, and maybe if you had, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with."

"Nicole, you have every right to be upset with me and I wouldn't blame you one bit if you decide not to trust me and never want to see me again but, before you make that decision, I need you to bear with me for a moment."

Nicole watched curiously as Natalie withdrew her phone and dialed a number that only required a single tap on her phone. "Just so you know, I'm calling Jeff's cell,' she explained before handing the phone off to Nicole. There's someone who wants to speak with you."

"Nicole, is that you," the Aussie-accented voice inquired on the other end.

"Yes, Jeff. Hello," she said as flatly as possible. Apparently she had become the unsuspecting main attraction of Natalie's group apology tour. Instead of getting the expected slew of his many regrets, she was instructed to 'hang on' followed by some shuffling noises signaling the phone was being passed around.

She was greeted by another round of a Happy Birthday serenade, only this time, the voice delivering the usually dreaded melody made her squeal with delight.

"EJ!"

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart. Oh god, it's so good to hear your voice."

"You too," she gushed into the phone, choking on intermittent words when her emotions simply got the better of her. "Where are you?"

"I'm still in prison, but I'm here in one of the offices where we can meet with council in private. Jeff came to see me for professional reasons, of course."

"Oh, God, I love you so much, and I miss you so much!"

"I love you too. Please, don't ever doubt that for a second. Samantha-"

"I'm not worried about Sami," she cut him off abruptly, sparing him unnecessary explanations when she knew their time was so limited. "And don't you worry about me, or the kids cuz I've got everything under control. Thirteen weeks, honey. That's my pledge to you. Hopefully sooner, of course, but no more than thirteen."

"Just curious. How do you figure thirteen?"

"Because that was the deadline I was given this morning by Titan to wrap up my story, and I can't wrap up a story without having a magnificent ending."

"And what all exactly does this magnificent ending involve?" She loved hearing every ounce of intrigue packed into his response.

"Oh come on honey, you should know this."

"Ah, yes. You and me and the kids, a church, and a white horse outside waiting to carry us off into the sunset. Sound about right?"

"That sounds about right," she said, grinning from ear to ear as her mind staged the scene to fit his near perfect description of the perfect ending. "You're just forgetting one, teeny, tiny little thing."

EJ let out an adoring chuckle. "How could I forget. And they lived happily-ever-after."


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Salem

Same Day

Nicole groaned when she spotted Chad sitting hunched over on a bench in the Horton Town Square wearing his usual, just-crawled-out-of-bed, attire. Apparently, either he initially didn't take her plot to save his brother seriously or somewhere along the line he had changed his mind. Either way, she wasn't about to let him back down on her.

When he saw her approaching, he immediatelty sat up straight like a little boy being scolded by his parents to do so in church but, although she found his reaction hilarious, she resisted the urge to crack a smile. He was undoubtedly intimidated by her presence and she planned to use every bit of that influence to her advantage. Somebody was not holding up his end of the deal, and he was in T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

"Hey Chad, what's going on?" The tone of her voice was chirpy and casual, but the set of steely eyes cast upon him set an entirely different mood.

"We shouldn't be here, it's way too risky. You know who is back in town." It was a statement rather than question, and yes, she knew exactly who he was referring to.

"Sami is the least of my worries right now. What I want to know is, did you hold up your end of the bargain?" To her surprise, her question was greeted with a sly smile reminiscent of the ones she was so accustomed to seeing on EJ.

"You don't think I did anything you asked, do you? You have zero faith in me."

Nicole threw her head back with an exasperated sigh. "How do you expect me to react to this," she replied with exaggerated hand gestures indicating his person and chosen attire. "I told you from this day forward, which is now three days ago, that you need to become an all new Chad DiMera, yet here you are in the same ol' clothes-"

"You also told me we have to be careful about interacting in public, or-"

"Yeah, well that was based on the assumption that you would file to contest the will. Since you haven't done so then we have no reason to avoid each other."

"I only didn't do it because Sami beat us to the punch."

"I know. So you got served too, huh?"

"Yeah, I got my papers. I brought them with me when I met with George Restivo."

Nicole perked up in her seat right away. "You did? You saw George? What did he say?"

"Only that my father would roll over in his grave if he knew Sami got her hands on a dime of that money. Sorry to tell you your name was included in that too, although George did say he thought quite differently about you."

"He did?"

"Yeah. He was gushing about how DiMera Enterprises reached it's peak when EJ was in charge and the two of you were together. He said that unlike Sami, you were just as smart as you were beautiful, and he was well aware that you had a strong influence on EJ's business decisions. That's why I decided to tell him what we talked about."

Nicole's eyes grew wide with disbelief. "You did WHAT?"

"Nicole, relax. He's completely on board with everything. Just like you said, he was ecstatic about going after Peyton's Place, and even more so when he found out you were the mastermind behind it. He loves that you have inside info about who Titan is going after and he wants to know who else you have in mind."

Nicole was speechless. Sure, it all sounded good but she was not pleased with Chad going out on a limb. She was a control freak; she could admit it. It was another side-effect of the abuse she suffered from her father and countless other men of her own choosing for years until the day she finally woke up and realized she'd had enough. She refused to ever let anyone else control her in any way again and as a result, when things didn't go as planned, she found herself feeling like the same, scared, little girl being forced to do unspeakable things that she had never even heard of with strange men, on camera, desperately clinging to every last little bit of self-worth she had.

"Chad, this is dangerous. Do you know I talked to EJ today? He told me that Sami-"

"Yeah, I know. Sami wants the board to buy her out if she wins. George told me when I saw him the other day, and EJ told me himself just a few minutes ago."

It was this revelation that managed to finally bring her some relief. "You did? You talked to EJ?"

"Yeah, he told me he had just talked to you. Happy Birthday, by the way."

"Thank you. OK, so come on, what did you two talk about?"

"Oh, you know, how much he loves you, and that I need to do whatever I can to help you. He also believes I made a good call telling George everything. He says we can trust him because he'll see right through Sami's proposal. He knows it's not in DiMera's best interest to operate without a DiMera in charge and he won't invest in something that's going to fail. They're scrambling to stay afloat as it is."

Nicole was beaming. This new development helped make the day her best birthday ever by far. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. He told me to tell you to not stress out about this. I explained to him how George is on board and he's committed to helping me win this case against Sami, and you, and he's already got the lawyers trying to pull some strings to at least get EJ extradited back to the states ASAP. He seems to think once EJ is back on American soil, he can have him freed in no time. In fact, he's confident they can get the charges dismissed altogether and the case will never make it to trial. Of course that means things are going to have to get ugly for a while."

Nicole nodded understandingly. "EJ might be free and clear but Victor will still be a problem. If I leave Brady for EJ, even with EJ's support system back in place, it's still one powerhouse family battling another. I could still lose Sawyer."

"Yep. You two are still gonna have to act like you hate each other's guts."

"Which means I'm gonna have to work overtime trying to find a way to bring down Victor beforehand so it doesn't have to come to that. It's already hard enough on the kids hearing the discussions between me and Brady. I don't want to subject them to EJ and I screaming at each other like everything they're hearing me say is true."

"Exactly, and that's just what he said. He wanted me to implore you to stop worrying about him now that he knows the wheels have been set in motion, and to leave things at DiMera up to me and George so you can focus on taking down Victor. He said if it comes down to it, he'll do whatever is necessary to protect you and the baby, even if it involves taking extreme measures, but he wants to avoid that if at all possible to avoid any risk of retalliation from some well-paid goons with instructions for what to do in the wake of his demise. He's certain Victor would leave instructions for someone go after Belle and Alexander if he was suspected to be behind it."

"He would. I know he would. He treats them like crap as it is. Honestly, I'm surprised he doesn't just have us all murdered to get us out of the way for good."

Her statement had an unnerving effect on him as he considered her pondering to be a realistic possibility. His heart started racing in his chest with the same intensity as if he'd just completed a marathon, and every inch of his clothing seemed instantly soaked with sweat. He challenged himself to solve the mystery behind his reaction which only aided in opening a whole new can of worms to add to his already full plate. As if the responsibility of saving his from family from doom wasn't pressure enough, now he had to find a way to not fall in love with his brother's girl in the process. He quickly tried to dismiss his own conclusion as soon as his unspoken final analysis registered with his brain, but he could hardly come up with a believable argument. He dreamed about her non-stop since the day she'd showed up at his apartment. When he was in actual sleep mode, he found himself dreaming about the day they could declare victory, but instead of running to EJ's arms which would realistically be the case, she ran to his, gushing corn-ball statements such as, 'You're my hero,' as she covered him with kisses. During the day, when he was actually awake, he found himself fantasizing about her in ways that were far less innocent than in his nightly dreams. One example of said fantasies is that she comes to his apartment and proposes her newest plan to him; she decides she wants to leave EJ in jail because she has all the man she wants right there in front of her. She then begins to kiss him passionately and rips the shirt from his chest which prompts him to reciprocate with her clothing. He picks her up with the initial intention of carrying her off to his bedroom until he realizes he can't wait a moment longer and neither can she and they end up fucking right there on the couch, starting a marathon fuck fest which carries them well into the next day.

"Earth to Chad! Hello?"

Chad felt his face flush with color. At least the blood went rushing there instead of running south like it usually did when he thought of Nicole as of late. Nicole, his brother's girl. Nicole, the mother of his niece and nephews, for crying out loud. But damn if she wasn't one sexy-

"CHAD?"

"Yes, yes ma'am, sorry...what were you saying?"

"That's more like it. I just might have to start insisting you call me ma'am from now on."

She was teasing, of course, he knew that, but damn why did she have to say it with that sexy tone in her voice that immediately sent a shockwave of pleasure through the family jewels? Because she knew how to work her victims, that's why. Nicole was a master manipulator just like his bro, and she knew exactly which cards to play when and with whom, which meant...dear god...she was onto him. Time to change the subject, fast.

"I'm really sorry, I just got caught up thinking about everything. What did you ask me?"

Thankfully, it was back to business for Nicole as well with her response. "I was just saying, this is a dangerous game we're playing with Victor and reminding you that you and I won't be able to meet once you drop the bomb that you'll be challenging us all in court for the inheritance, but I have an idea about how we can still meet discreetly once a week."

He was about to argue that EJ insisted she not worry about a thing relating to DiMera before realizing he would be objecting to his only opportunity to be able to see her at all. "Sounds good. What's your plan?"

"Well, I've kinda been hinting to Brady that I could benefit from some therapy to cope with my traumatic experience, so I was thinking a doctor's office would be a good spot for us to hold our meetings."

"How's that gonna work? Won't there be people in the waiting room?"

"You're so cute," she purred, wearing the same kind of adoring smile she might cast upon one of her kids for drawing her a picture to post on the fridge. "You gotta start thinking like DiMera, Chad. AND acting like one too cuz I'm gonna need your help setting this up. OK, this is how it goes, we find a doc, and I'm pretty sure I have the perfect one lined up. She's in that big office building right over there," Nicole said, pointing to the six-floored, brick building immediately next to The Hourglass. "It's the same building where my OB/GYN was when I was pregnant with Alexander so I know the layout like the back of my hand. Every office has a patient entrance, but there are also private staff entrances in the back where the exam rooms rooms are, and they all lead to a rear exit in the building itself. So, when we meet, I go in the front, you go in the back, and when it's appointment time for me, you and I have our privacy because you are going to go pay the doc a visit and tell her that whenever I'm scheduled for an appointment, she's to take a nice little extended lunch, and you give her some lunch money."

Chad exhaled deeply to dispel some of the pressure the sudden over-activity of his nerves was creating. "You want me to go threaten some doctor?"

Nicole shook her head dismissively. "Of course not! You're looking at this the wrong way. This woman is going to get a nice chunk of change every week for doing nothing more than having some extra time for herself during the day. You might want to throw in the suggestion that she keep quiet about what's going on and to reassure her staff that nothing unusual is taking place, but that's it. You're doing HER a favor in return for a favor. That's all."

"Oh, that's all, huh? What if she doesn't go for it? Then what?"

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that but, if it does, I'll make sure you have all the pertinent info you'll need beforehand, like the names of her kids, and where they go to school. What kinds of activities they're involved in, where-"

"Are you kidding me? I can't do that, Nicole."

The next thing he knew, her hand was on his knee, massaging it gently as she stared him down with desperate, pleading eyes. His brain instantly conjured up an image of his face on the body of a fiddle, with Nicole masterfully playing his strings.

"Don't say that. You can do anything you set your mind to, Chad DiMera. Besides, look, we wouldn't really do anything to her family, but what person in their right mind is going to take that chance? Especially when what we're asking her to do is realistically not that big of a deal. We're just borrowing her office for an hour, that's it, and we'll be paying her a pretty sweet rental fee for it."

"I just don't know how you can think she's even going to take me seriously. Look at me, I'm about as threatening as a litter of newborn puppies."

"We'll work on it. When do you plan to drop the ball that you're contesting the will as well?"

"George said our best plan of attack is to lay low until the court date. He says the longer we wait the less time Sami will have to prepare for it. She's only preparing to be fighting you right now, not me."

Nicole nodded approvingly. "Alright, good call, that's smart. So that gives us almost two weeks to set up this whole thing with the doc. Let's plan on me bringing the kids over tomorrow to visit their Uncle Chad, and we can do some fun little role-playing activities then. Sound good?"

Role-playing activities? Sound good? Oh hell yes! Now, onto a more acceptable response. "Sure, sounds good. Believe me, I think I'm gonna need all the help I can get."

"I don't know about that," she said, as she cocked her head to the side as if surveying him from another angle. "I think you don't give youself enough credit, really. You've already got the benefit of bearing the DiMera name which comes with it's own degree of clout, but I don't see this wholesome, innocent young man that you seem to think you are. I see the way your eyes twinkle when we discuss our plans. You're enjoying this whether you care to admit to it or not."

She was right. He was enjoying it, but he wasn't sure they had the same reasons for it in mind. "I would enjoy it a lot more if I could believe anyone would take me seriously."

"They will, and I'll get you there, ok? If you are committed to being my apt little pupil, I will gladly serve as your teacher."

Chad could only nod his head up and down in response. He was terrified that any more discussion on the topic might land him in a precarious situation that he'd much rather experience in privacy of his own home.

"Good, then I'll have Brandon drop off me and the kids after we pick them up from school tomorrow. As for tonight, I'm giving you a homework assignment."

Oh God Nicole, please, stop. He was afraid that if she didn't stop soon he'd have to resort to grabbing that crumpled up newspaper on the ground near the bench to throw in his lap to conceal his growing excitement. To his relief, she chose to bid him her parting instructions as she rose from the bench in preparation to leave.

"Let's pretend it's not Nicole Walker stopping by to pay you a visit tomorrow. Let's say it's Doctor Anita Mann whom you are going to use your DiMera charm on to set up what we just talked about. I want to see what you bring to the table without my coaching, then we'll go from there. I'm serious, Chad. I want you to spend the rest of the day preparing for this."

Chad shot her a reassuring smile. "Trust me, I'll be thinking of nothing else but for the rest of day." Guaranteed, he added silently as a side note to himself.

"Good, then I shall see you again tomorrow, Mr. Dimera, and we can discuss whatever business it is that you would like to propose to me."

She left him with a wink and an angelic smile until the moment she turned her back when the smile began to morph into something far less innocent. Poor Chad. She absolutely adored the guy like the little brother he practically was and didn't have the heart to warn him it was painfully obvious that she had some sort of affect on him. After all, it was undoubtedly just your typical, perfectly innocent, young twenty-something male's infatuation with a beautiful temptress. Yeah, she could admit it. Owning the good looks God had blessed her with had gotten her pretty far in life already, and she would countinue to rely on them until all her goals were achieved. The only question there was now was, who would be her next victim?


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Salem

Same Day

Nicole stormed into the office of St. Luke's school like a boxer approaching the ring for a much anticipated rematch with his biggest rival. She was ready to beat someone's ass alright but the problem was, she was limited to doing so by means of a verbal smackdown only. It was probably just as well for the time being as her broken arm would certainly hinder her chance of victory, but her injury played no role at all in her vow to not let things get physical. She was a mom now, and every single decision she made since the day she found out took the best interests of her beloved children into consideration. Since they were already one parent short, they certainly couldn't afford to lose another to serving some jail time for assault and battery. She would have to find some other means of making Sami pay.

"Where's my daughter," she demanded of the rather meek-looking, middle-aged woman manning the front office who began shuffling papers around on her desk nervously as Nicole towered over her intimidatingly.

"She-she's in w-with the guidance counselor. Father Eh-Eric is waiting f-for you in his office with Sydney's m-mother."

The last part of her sentence fell on deaf ears since Nicole had already disappeared behind the door of Eric's office where she came face to face with the dreaded bitch at last.

"Well, well, well. Look what the kangaroo dragged in," Sami said as she surveyed Nicole up and down with her usual, resting bitch face.

Nicole replied with a simple roll of the eyes and turned her attention to Eric instead. "Eric, can you please just explain what the hell happened just now?"

"Yes, come on, have a seat, both of you. First of all, I want you to rest assured that both girls are fine right now. Nicole, Belle is with Mrs. Barber and she has calmed down quite a bit and Sami, Sydney is with Mrs. Bucci and they are having a nice little chat. From what I gather from the witnesses, the girls were seen talking and then the next thing you know, Sydney pushed Belle to the ground and Belle started to cry. Belle then tried approaching her again and Sydney pushed her away and then they got into a shouting match until the teachers got there to break them up."

"What were they arguing about," Nicole inquired although she already had a pretty good guess what the gist of the girls' conversation was.

"Apparently, Belle was trying to connect with Sydney as her sister, and Sydney didn't want any part of it. At first, Sydney just tried ignoring her, but Belle kept pushing and finally Sydney started to communicate that she didn't want any part of it. She told Belle that she didn't want to know her or Alexander, among some other things."

"Other things like WHAT," she roared like a lioness with piercing eyes that caused Eric to start squirming in his seat.

"She said she hated her because she hates you, and that it's your fault that her father is in jail. She then went on to explain that she felt you are a bad person, and shared several examples of some of the things you have done."

Nicole finally turned her gaze full of angry tears toward Sami. "Are you satisfied with yourself? I can't believe you would stoop so low as-"

"Oh, come on, Nicole. Just because Sydney had some not very nice things to say about you doesn't mean that it came from me."

"Actually, Sami," Eric interrupted before Nicole even got an attempt at a comeback started, "I talked to Sydney myself about why she said some of the things she did, and do you want to know what she said? Almost every single response I got from her began with, 'mommy said."

Sami looked at her twin with disbelief. "Really, Eric? Whose side are you on?"

"I'll tell you whose side I'm on. I'm on Sydney's side, and I'm on Belle's side too because it is our duty as human beings to raise these children to be better people than we are. I'm well aware-very well aware-of all of the drama surrounding you two and EJ, but there is absolutely no reason on this earth, or anywhere else for that matter, that these children should be taught to hate one another, especially considering they share one of the purest connections one person can have to another. Like it or not, Sami, Sydney and Johnny now have another brother and sister, and you need to grow up and do the right thing here."

Sami glared back at her brother with obvious disapproval while Nicole struggled to refrain from smiling on the sidelines. She was enjoying every bit of Eric taking on some of her work load.

"I hope you don't talk to all the parents that way," Sami said with a sneer as she threw herself into the backrest of her chair, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.

"Well, I don't have to really. Most of them are already doing an excellent job."

Nicole saw this as an excellect opportunity to further wrap Eric around her little finger by demonstrating her own personal growth. At least the breed of it that was intended for show. "Eric, come on, don't you think that was a little bit harsh? Obviously, this recent turn of events has been difficult for everyone involved. I'm sure that Sydney probably just overheard some things which really weren't intended for her ears in the first place. Right, Sami?"

"If it was about you, then you better believe I wanted them to hear what I had to say. I have absolutely nothing against Belle or Alexander, but as long as they're under your influence, I'm not letting my kids anywhere near them. You may have my brother here fooled, but you don't fool me, Nicole, not for a second. I've seen your work, and I know what you're doing. I'm not gonna sit back and let you use those kids to turn mine against me."

Nicole chose to shut her eyes this time instead of rolling them to the skies for the umpteenth time during the entire interaction. "Sami, you are your own worst enemy, haven't you learned that by now? If anyone's turned people against you, it's YOU."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that you're too busy playing June Cleaver to try to get me back for taking you to court over the money?"

"She's doing WHAT," Eric chimed in, shooting his sister a look of horror.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Nicole said nonchalantly with a wave of her hand. "Sami feels the money rightfully belongs to EJ so she's decided to contest Stefano's will. Obviously, I must be spending all of my free time concocting some elaborate revenge scheme." Well, there was some truth to the statement aside for the fact that, for once, she didn't have a single thing lined up in said revenge scheme for Sami. She already had enough on her plate and finding ways to torment Sami for shits and giggles wasn't worth the extra effort, at least at this time.

"Look, I'm not trying to cut out Belle and Alexander," Sami explained with the intention of satisfying only her brother's curiosity. "EJ and I discussed this at great length and we only want to see to it that SHE doesn't end up with everything. Considering the circumstances, I think my actions are perfectly reasonable."

"Actually, Sami, considering the circumstances, I can't believe you would even think of giving EJ DiMera the time of day. How many people does this man need to hurt before you wake up and realize this is not a person you want as a husband, let alone a father to your children? At long last he is behind bars where he belongs. You have a golden opportunity here to leave him in the past and move on with your life, so why don't you do just that. You're all better off without him and his tainted money."

I couldn't agree more," Nicole said as she pictured herself displaying the sly smile she could not allow herself to bear at the moment. Father Eric was at long last speaking the words of wisdom she would expect from a spirtual advisor, prompting her to change tactics. "I've been thinking about this a lot since I got the papers. Of course my initial reaction was to be angry. I felt like my kids didn't deserve to be the target of some selfish battle over money of all things, but then I started to realize, I don't want them to have that money hanging over their heads for the rest of their lives. That money ties them and me to a man that I never want to see again. That money is what made them the target of Kristen's craziness. I don't ever want another person to try to harm them because of it, and I sure don't need it for support because I have a wonderful man, who loves me with all his heart, and he is committed to taking care of me and my children. All of them. You will see me in court, Sami, but only because it will be required for me to be there, but don't worry. I'll tell them in my own words exactly what you can do with with that stinking money."

Nicole had to stifen a chuckle as she imagined herself standing behind a podium in a shimmering golden gown, giving a teary, heart-felt acceptance speech for a Best Actress in a Drama Series award. And to think it was all improvised made it that much more impressive. Taking this new approach to the courtroom opened up so many new doors for her. For starters, when she really thought about it, considering the story she was being pressured to force-feed to the media, it made much more sense for her to want to distance herself further from EJ. Also, it would aid greatly in further convincing the world that she had changed and thrust Brady into a false sense of security at the same time by entrusting him as her caretaker which would have an invaluable, positive impact since she would still have to feign her struggles with the intimacy aspect of their relationship. There would also no longer be a reason for things to get nasty between her and Chad in the courtroom although the ramifications of the change would still have the same effect on their relationship from that day forward as the original plan. She would have to play it like she didn't trust him and his motives and distance herself and the children from him for fear of him potentially acting on behalf of EJ. Worse yet, if she wasn't careful about how she interacted with Chad, her own loyaty to EJ was at risk for being prematurely exposed. If she showed even the slightest bit of enthusiasm over Chad's actions, someone, namely Victor and/or Brady, might be very suspicious, if they weren't already. It was a damn good thing the kids already adored their uncle Chad and constantly asked to go see him.

Eric turned his attention to Sami, waiting for some kind of reaction to Nicole's rebuttal, but all they managed to get in return was the typical Sami reaction whenever she was being attacked: arms folded across her chest while she gave them the silent treatment, her beet-red face looking at anything and everything in the room except directly at either one of them as if they weren't even there. Eric simply shook his head in disapproval and instead addressed Nicole.

"I'm proud of you, Nicole. You've really turned your life around. I wish I could say the same for my sister, but it seems she's back to her old tricks.' For this last sentence, he returned his attention back to Sami. "I can't believe you would stoop so low as to say such horrible things about Nicole to Sydney." At last he managed to get a reaction from Sami this time.

"Really, Eric? All I did was tell Sydney the truth about her, and what she did. I didn't tell Sydney how she should feel about it! She made that decision all on her own."

"What exactly did she tell Sydney," Nicole inquired weakly, swallowing down a bit of vomit which had manged to escape her churning stomach and reach the back of her throat.

Sami sneered at her and volunteered to do all the explaining herself. "I told her it was about time she learned exactly what you are. A homewrecking whore who slept with my husband and got herself knocked up and then went on to steal my baby when she thought she lost hers. How else did you expect me to explain to Sydney how it is she and Belle are the same age? Tell her we were sister wives?"

Nicole's heart sank. She knew the day would come where Sydney would finally begin to grasp what had actually happened to her as a baby and seek answers, but she always hoped she'd be the one to do the explaining. Sure, everything Sami was saying was true but, using the ridiculous insinuation that she and EJ were happily married when she showed back up in Salem and immediately set her sights on him as an example, it was far from being the whole truth. Did she bother to tell Sydney that she, her own mother, was trying to keep her existence a secret from EJ? Would Sydney ever understand that she had just been out of her mind with grief over losing her own daughter and that she had actually been relieved to have been exposed because the guilt for what she had done was eating away her insides? Would anyone else ever vouch for how much she loved her?

"How did this even come up, Sami? Did she even ask you about me, or did you just decide to volunteer this-"

"Of course she asked about you! She wants to know why you're saying such horrible things about her father!"

"Did you even stop to consider that these horrible things she's saying about EJ are all true?" Eric was looking at his sister like she was some three-headed beast from the netherworld. "Sami, come on! I can't believe you're vouching for EJ like he's some saint after everything he's put you through. And really, do you really want Sydney to know the whole truth about everything? Forget about explaining how Belle got here, why don't you tell her how Johnny got here, and how it's possible that Johnny and Allie are twins, but have different fathers. Let's see how that one goes!"

Nicole could hardly believe her ears and it took every single ounce of self-control to refrain from bursting into a fit of maniacal laughter. It was like she somehow managed to possess Eric and he was speaking on her behalf only she knew that wasn't true because he left out the one thing that she herself would love to remind Sami about: the night she shot EJ in the head with the intention of killing him.

"You know what, I'm not listening to this," Sami said with veins bulging from her neck as she rose to her feet and threw her bag over her shoulder. "We're done here. I'm taking all three of my kids home and we're going to find another school. Nobody is going to lecture me on how I raise my children, or who I choose to raise them with."

"I'm sorry about this, Nicole," Eric said sincerely after Sami slammed the door behind her. "If it makes you feel any better, I think my talk with Sydney helped a bit. I asked her if she thought that the mommy Nicole that she knows now would ever want to do a thing to hurt her and she shook her head 'no.' She's just very confused. As for Belle, I think she really does want to get to know her, and her brother, but feels kind of jealous that EJ just spent all this time with them and not her."

Nicole came very close to blowing her cover. She wanted so badly to fight for EJ, and explain all the reasons why seeing Johnny and Sydney had just not been possible, and how they had both wanted nothing more than to unite all of the children under one roof. Instead, all she could do was bite her tongue and sit back and listen to whatever derogatory and innacurate things were being said about the man she loved. "What did you say to her about EJ?"

Eric frowned. "I just told her that even though he did some bad things, it doesn't change the fact that he loves her, and assured her that however she feels about him in return is ok."

"Did she say how she felt about him?"

Eric nodded. "I'm sorry to say, but she's team EJ on this one. She doesn't believe he did what he did and she thinks you're lying, but we both know where all that is coming from. Try to not let it upset you."

Nicole nodded. Truth was, it didn't upset her as much as one might think. After all, she was lying, and EJ was not capable of doing the horrible things she had been forced to say he was. Although she hated the fact that Sydney was in complete turmoil at present, she knew one day soon when the truth could finally be told, she would learn the invaluable lesson of trusting her own instincts. Sydney was going to come out of this just fine. It was Belle whom she needed to shift her focus to.

As if reading her mind, it was Eric who initiated the change of subject. "As for Belle, I'm afraid she's going to have a lot of tough questions for you since it seems that much of the things Sydney was spewing at her she was hearing for the first time."

Nicole shook her head understandingly as tears started to cascade down her cheeks, prompting Eric to rise from his seat behind his desk and plop down on the edge of the desk closest to her on the front side and rest his hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"If you think it would help, why don't you talk to her here? I'd be more than happy to be your back-up. I meant what I said, Nicole. I'm really, extremely proud of you for turning your life around."

She smiled at him appreciatively but was forced to reject his offer. The last thing her little girl needed right now was someone else feeding her false information. EJ was not the evil sinner everyone was making him out to be, and she certainly was no saint.

"I think I should just take her home for the day. Alex too."

Eric nodded. "OK, but if you need anything, anytime, don't hesitate to call, ok? I'm sorry I got a little cross with you on the phone for calling to check on them. Obviously, your concerns were warranted."

"It's OK. I was beginning to think myself that I was just being a ridiculous, over-protective mother. I still am, I guess."

"You're a great mother, Nicole. You always were," he said as he got up and approached the door to his office. "I'm going to have Helen pull Alexander from class. I'll send Belle into you while we wait for him, ok?"

Nicole waited by the door so she was there to grab Belle as soon as she walked in. Her little cheeks were red and swollen where she had wiped tears away furiously with both hands and tissues, and her little navy-blue uniform jumper was darkened on the shoulder straps where the material had become saturated with tears. In her worst-case scenario fantasy, Belle shouted accusations of her being a kidnapper at her as she cowered in a corner attempting to escape her clutches. In reality, her little girl just ran to the safe and secure shelter of her mother's loving embrace.

The entire rest of her day was spent back at the Kiriakis mansion where she returned her focus to what was most important: her kids. She was sure if the station wasn't so hungry for the exclusivity she promised for her story she would have been fired on the spot for ditching work for the day but the hard truth that everyone would have to come to accept from now forward was that there was simply nothing on this earth more important than Belle, Alexander, and Sawyer's happiness and well-being. Alexander, although full of the relentless curiosity that one would expect from a four-year-old, was thankfully still too young to grasp the levity of the events which had transpired today, his big sister on the other hand had questions that deserved to be answered openly and honestly from the source. Luckily, although home where he had remained with Sawyer for the day, Brady was buried knee-deep in Titan business which awarded her the precious privacy she would need to offer full disclosure. She admitted to everything she had been accused of and challenged those that were inaccuracies, and all without shifting blame elsewhere. In a nutshell, she insisted that everything she had done was out of love, mixed with a little bit of the craziness she suffered when she thought she lost her beloved baby girl. As it turned out, that seemed to be the only part which affected Belle greatly. Their bond only grew stronger in that moment where Nicole took her into her arms and wept tears of joy that she had not lost her after all.

Even though she broke their plans for going out in honor of her birthday, Brady had still insisted they celebrate, sending Victor and Maggie out to dine so they could hold something more low-key right there at the mansion. In the midst of downing some birthday cake after a meal consisting of kid-pleasing pizza, Brandon and Chloe showed up along with Taylor, who took them all by surprise arriving sooner rather than later after catching an earlier flight. For the first time in a long time, she was happy to see her sister again and her kids were thrilled to meet their Aunt Taylor.

It had turned out to be a lovely evening spent with those she held most dear to her heart. Well, most of them anyway. When her guests departed she received hugs and kisses from them all which only made her miss EJ's affections all the more. Aside from those from her kids which just brought her an insurmountable amount of joy, there was nothing like the feeling of his strong, protective arms wrapped around her. Apparently, this need she had felt had been detected, and before she knew it, Brady had crept up from behind and wrapped her in a tight embrace which pinned her arms to her sides.

"Brady-" she began in what was only going to be a subtle reminder that this gesture was not appropriate in front of the children. When he chose to silence her by means of a kiss however, she became furious. She jabbed her elbow into his stomach, forcing him to release his grip and take a step back. Later that evening, after she had put the children to bed with the tale of the phone call she received from EJ earlier in the day as their bedtime story, she joined Brady in the living room where they could talk which had become a nightly ritual. When she sat down beside him, the scent of liquor was already heavy on his breath.

"You're drinking again."

"Yeah, well, welcome to my world, Nicole. You know, you're not the only one who's been suffering."

"No, I'm not, but I'm not doing anything destructive to myself on account of it either. Look, I didn't want to say anything at first but I'm worried about you, Brady. We both know that if you don't do something about this, it's going to get out of control."

"Oh yeah? What do you care?"

She cared. She did. Just not in the way he wanted her to, not anymore. Still, there was no way she could let him believe that for now. She spent the next hour trying to convince him to believe in their love with a barage of apologies and explanations all designed to assure him she was one hundred percent committed to soon be his wife. It was here she revealed for the first time her newly-realized feelings regarding the childrens' inheritance, and how she planned to seek therapy for her intimacy struggles and pleaded with him to do the same for his drinking. He agreed, unbeknownst to either one that they would be sharing the same deceptive ritual of saying one thing while doing another. Instead of seeing a therapist, she would be seeing Chad and with Brady, instead of attending his AA meetings, he would find himself meeting up with old 'friends' in seedy areas of the park. He might not be able to hide his drinking since the scent of the liquor would give him away every time, but he could hide the cocaine, or at least that's what he thought.

It was just to tide him over until things started to get better with Nicole, then he would stop everything, he really would. That was the old addict in him talking. The one who was under the illusion that he could control his drug and alcohol use. The one who was in complete denial of the hurtful things he was capable of doing to the people he loved the most while under the influence. The one who believed that no matter what he did to himself, he could never, ever, hurt Nicole. Soon enough his theory would be put to the test with unexpected results which would forever alter both of their lives.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Salem

Two weeks later

"I can't believe it," Nicole kept repeating with disbelief as Brady stroked her back up and down soothingly as they sat side by side on the sofa in the living room of the mansion. It was just a little before noon and Belle and Alexander were at school, giving Brady the green light to show his affection. They had just returned home from court where they received the shock of their lives, or at least Brady did while Nicole merely played the role, when surprise contender Chad DiMera walked away the winner. Somewhere along the lines, something had gone horribly, horribly wrong. Sami had been so certain she would win that she'd insisted he wouldn't even need to pay off the judge. Sure, he got part of what he wanted-Nicole would receive nothing more than ten thousand dollars per month for both children combined until they reached the age of eighteen when they would then have full access to their share of the inheritance; an amount identical to what each of the other grandchildren received. She would never see the millions which was his main objective, but he sure as hell never expected the money to fall into the hands of Chad DiMera. He was always so passive when it came to the family business and now, all of a sudden, he decides he wants to run it? He wasn't buying it. There was no way Chad was acting on his own ambitions. Somebody had put him up to it and he was pretty sure he had his suspects narrowed down to two: EJ or Nicole.

"I just can't believe it," Nicole repeated again, with the tears she had been trying so hard to conjure up finally flowing freely down her cheeks. "I feel like such a fool, Brady. I just can't believe Chad would play me like that. All this time I'm thinking I'm doing right by my kids by letting them get to know their uncle because he's not like the rest of the DiMera's, and he turns around and uses my past against me, and challenges my character and parenting skills, just so he can get a hold of that money which I admittedly didn't even want in the first place? Why would he do that?"

"I don't know," Brady admitted, still applying gentle strokes to her back. "But it certainly doesn't sound like something Chad would do on his own."

Nicole nodded. "I know. That's what has me really worried." The fear in her voice had increased by the word. "The only thing that makes any sense is that he's been talking to EJ."

Watching her physical reaction to voicing her own fears sickened him. Her chest was convulsing and her breathing was labored and erratic. She was genuinely frightened and he instantly felt guilty that he'd considered even just for a second that she might be involved.

"What if EJ gets out, Brady? He's going to come after the children. He'll try to take my babies away from me! I can't lose them again!"

She was sobbing hysterically now, and he took her into his arms, coaxing her head to his shoulder where he rested his chin against her forehead and began rocking her soothingly.

"I'm never gonna let that happen, ok? I'm going to protect you and the kids, always. I'm never gonna let anyone hurt you."

Her emotionally-charged physical reaction to fear wasn't something that was manufactured. She was indeed scared to death now that the plan had been set in motion. It was the threat of exposure, or even worse, failure, that truly terrifed her. To make matters worse, she feared she had just now created another obstacle by over-playing her fear of EJ. There was something disturbingly eerie in Brady's tone when he vowed to protect her that made her realize she may very well have just put EJ's life in jeopardy. Considering he was currently in prison, he was merely a sitting duck.

"Well, at least he's in prison, right," she offered up as a reminder to suggest that was good enough for now. "Make that a prison that's thousands of miles away. Let's just hope he stays there."

Brady pressed his lips to her forehead and kissed it. "I don't want you to worry about EJ. I will NEVER let him hurt you again."

Nicole pictured kicking herself as a result of her inability to actually perform the deed. With every mention of EJ's name she added more fuel to the fire, but what could she do? Making it clear she felt threatened by him was an absolute necessary measure she needed to take. Thankfully, their little conversation was about to come to an end for the time being.

"Honey, we have to go," she said as she wiggled free of his embrace, casting her gaze in the direction of the gigantic grandfather clock near the doorway which led to the main hall. "It's almost time for my appointment."

"Are you sure you want to do this today, Nic? You've already got so much on your plate. Too much, if you ask me."

"Yes, I need to do this, Brady. I think a little therapy is exactly what I need right now. Especially after a day like today." Truer words could never be spoken. She could hardly wait to see Chad so they could celebrate their first little victory.

"Alright, but I want you to make sure you're focusing on you, and what's affecting you the most right now. I don't want you to be worried about all that other stuff."

The 'other stuff' he was referring to was his own recent misbehavior when he'd made several attempts to breech the agreement that he would refrain from showing affection toward her in front of Belle and Alexander. He had promised again he would be on his best behavior, and for the past two weeks, he'd lived up to his promise. It was amazing the effect the cocaine had on his attitude. He was much more easy-going and wasn't constantly stressed out and paranoid all the time. If anything, he felt more in touch with his feelings and able to recognize them for what they were. Just like earlier when he briefly entertained the idea that Nicole and Chad might be in cahoots. That was paranoia speaking and he was able to address it for what it was and just let it go. That's because he was in complete control of his usage right now. He was in a completely content state of being so there was absolutely no reason for him to alter his current usage which was at a responsible and safe amount of the drug. He was functioning like any normal human being and the fact that no one had even questioned a single behavior was proof of that.

He took Nicole to her appointment and was relieved when she insisted she was fine to go in alone. He needed to make a stop for more supplies for one, but he was also intent on finding out exactly what in the hell went wrong today in court.

He timed his meeting with the dealer to avoid crossing paths with Sami who was due to meet him in just a few short minutes in another location of the park. The exchange between the two men of cash and drugs took less than a minute, and he was able to reach his next destination without being seen by a single sole. Sami was already there waiting, pacing the ground before the bench with arms crossed and her face a shade of fiery red.

"What the hell was that," Brady demanded as he approached Sami like a cat finally pouncing on it's prey. "I thought you said we had nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, well I wasn't exactly worried about Chad! Who the hell would be?"

"Well, it seems like somebody suggested to him it might be a good idea. I know it wasn't me."

"It sure in hell wasn't me," Sami growled back in defense.

"What about your dear hubby, huh? You think he had something to do with it?"

"NO," she squawked back adamantly. "Are you kidding? He can't even make a damn phone call, I made sure of it. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about your girlfriend."

"Soon to be fiance," Brady corrected her. "Forget it Sami, don't even try it. Nicole is not involved in any of this, ok. She's scared to death of him coming after her, and with good reason. Isn't that what he's been vowing to do?"

"If he ever gets out," she reminded him with a sneer. "Relax, would you? EJ's not going anywhere."

"Are you sure about that, cuz somebody put Chad upto this. Who the hell else could it be, hmmm?"

"I DON'T KNOW," Sami shouted back, her face doing the impossible by growing an even deeper shade of crimson. "Maybe it was just the suits at DiMera. Some last-ditch effort to save the company from ruin."

Brady was silent as he gave her theory serious consideration. "Maybe that's it. Chad's pretty naive, impressionable. Maybe they're thinking they could just mold him into the new EJ."

"That's gotta be it, but, just to make sure, I'm gonna head back to Australia to visit my DH."

Sami's phone began to vibrate in her hand. "Hang on a sec, I gotta take this."

As she sauntered away to take her phone call in privacy, Brady took a short stroll himself where he could duck between some bushes and snort his next dosage from the vial. He had it timed perfectly where one measure would last him two hours, effectively seeing him through that entire period without feeling the need to over-dose. He was on a strict schedule which he was committed to sticking to, in complete control.

"You're never going to FUCKING believe this," Sami was screaming, catching him by surprise from behind. It was a good thing the vial was already tucked safely back in his jeans pocket.

"What? What am I not going to believe?"

Sami's face had gone from looking like that of a lobster to now more closely resembling a ghost. Brady could tell the phone call had delivered some kind of unpleasant news. She was shaking her head in a manner that was equal parts disbelief and disgust.

"Looks like I'm not going to be going back to Australia after all. EJ's on his way back to the states as we speak."

Nicole carefully closed the office door behind her and began surveying what she initially thought to be an empty room. The lights were still dimmed which was why when she heard the loud pop come from the direction of the one corner she hadn't yet investigated, she about jumped out of her skin. With her heart beating a mile a minute, she turned to find out what was the source of the noise.

"Chad," she gasped as she drew a hand over her rapidly beating heart as if to assure the organ that everything was alright. "You scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly as he approached her with a bubbling-over bottle of champagne in his hand. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just preparing for a little celebration."

Nicole squealed with delight before taking a running jump toward him with the faith that he would support the weight of her body when she hopped aboard, wrapping her legs around his as she hugged him tight.

"You did it! You did it! Honey, I am so proud of you, and your brother would be too."

Chad had done a remarkable job pulling everything together. She wasn't able to see his accomplishments until today, but from the instant he walked in the court room he had managed to impress her. He was dressed to the nines, his hair perfectly groomed and styled. His posture, stance, and stride told everyone he was a man with great confidence and pride. He presented his argument to the court with such conviction that she could see him further folliwing in his bro's footsteps by becoming a lawyer himself. The kid had real potential. Who knew?

Chad chuckled as he quickly set thew bottle of champagne on the nearby desk, then grabbed her by her thighs for support and spun her around. As innocent as the placement of his hands was, he still couldn't help but feel slightly nervous about what this variety of bodily contact was going to have on him. He didn't want to find himself getting aroused in her presence again like last time. It was bad enough it was something he had to deal with in private but he couldn't help the way he felt and he wished to God that it was something he could simply turn on or off with flip of a switch.

"Well, I was going to suggest we celebrate with some champagne," he spoke from over her shoulder, "but of course I forgot until just now that you're nursing and you probably can't have any. Sorry, sis." There, that's it, call her sis. Maybe that will help.

"It's OK," she insisted as she wiggled her legs free of his grip, signalling she was ready to be let down. "Even if I weren't nursing, I don't want to risk Brady smelling anything on my breath. You however should drink up and celebrate cuz honey, you deserve it. Bra-vo"

Chad began to blush as she applauded him, beaming with happiness. When his brain began to start spitting out fantasies of her throwing herself into his arms calling him her hero again, he quickly sought to change the subject.

"You know, I bet you wouldn't even think this is possible, but I have something even better than this to share with you. It's a little surprise I've been keeping in my pocket until our meeting today."

Nicole's eyes instantly awarded him with her full attention. "What? Good news?"

"No, great news," he corrected her playfully. "Guess who's on his way back to the states, as we speak?"

The next thing that happened sent Chad into a state of confusion which saw him trying to sort out what had happened at that very moment for the remainder of his day. He seriously struggled with determining which parts were real and which ones had been fantasy. The facts were that she had leapt into his arms. She had called him her hero, but had he really kissed her and admitted to falling completely in love with her? And what happened after that? Why couldn't he remember? Did she hit him, knocking him unconscious, and have someone return him to his new home back at DiMera mansion? Maybe none of it really happened and he had just made the whole thing up from start to finish. Heck, maybe Nicole herself was just a machination of his demented brain. He wished he could just pick up the phone and call her, but as reality slowly started to seep back in, he realized that was an impossibility. Looking down at himself dressed in the custom-tailored suit served as an instant reminder that the events that had taken place over the course of the last few weeks were very much real; every bit as real in fact as the framed photograph of Belle and Alexander sitting on top of his dresser. There was something else too that he couldn't ignore, even though it wasn't something he could visually verify. He could still feel the lingering sensation of her silky, soft lips pressed up against his and the sweet whisper of her warm breath blowing across his face. It had been real. It was simply too amazing to be anything but.

Before he fell asleep that night, his memory had thankfully been fully restored. His kiss had taken her by surprise but she had not been angry with him. She resorted to humor and he apologized profusely and they had managed to move past it and discuss their next order of business without further mention of the incident. He dreamed of her again that night only this time, it turned into something rather nightmarish. He woke up in the middle of the night, desperately trying to escape the madman pursuing him in his dreams. The madman who screamed, "I'm going to kill you, you son-of-a-bitch," and had the face of his brother.

In the Kiriakis mansion, Nicole smiled dreamily as she petted the hair of her sleeping little boy laying beside her, fantasizing of the day when she would find herself in a position similar to the one she was in now, only this time EJ would be in his usual spot, snuggled closely behind her with his arm wrapped securely around her, his hand cupping one of her breasts, and his head buried in the crook of her neck between her jawbone and shoulder. The only man whose lips she fantasized about being on hers was his and for the first night in weeks, she slept well, and peacefully, as she dreamt of those strong yet surprisingly gentle lips kissing every single square inch of her body.

In the morning, she blushed when Belle innocently accused her of making funny noises in her sleep in front of Brady. When he questioned her about it later, she lied and said she'd been dreaming about him. This time she couldn't bring herself to allow the kiss that he sought after and found herself fleeing from the room leaving him with no explanation. EJ was so close she to being home and free that she could feel him now, and even the semi-innocent hugs and kisses between her and Brady were becoming too much for her to bear, even though she knew EJ would understand her actions in the end.

Brady paced frantically back and forth in the living room, trying to figure out what in the heck had just happened, what in God's name he had done wrong. When he could come up with no sensible conclusion, he found himself checking the time. It was only an hour since he last had some coke and already it was wearing off. He couldn't think with the clarity that it offered him and as a result, he found himself taking another sniff vowing it would be just that one time. After coming up short, he decided best thing to do was forget about it and he made his way upstairs with the intent of checking on Sawyer. The little guy was fast asleep in his crib, as was Nicole and the kids in her bed as he could see for himself through the open doorway connecting the two rooms. He stood there silently, propped up against the doorframe, watching her sleep. The soft glow of moonlight illuminated her face just enough so he could see she was smiling contently. Obviously the events immediately preceeding her bedtime hadn't affected her ability to sleep, causing him to breathe a little easier. He was sure they would sort out whatever triggered her unexpected response to his kiss the next day and move forward from there. Eager for the new developments the next day might bring, he started to leave. It was then that he heard the moaning as described by Belle earlier that morning for himself. It was indeed Nicole making those animalistic sounds, and her body was writhing with movements which closely mimicked those of a wild animal in heat. He couldn't help but chuckle himself and decided to offer her some dignity by leaving the room. Two steps into his departure, he heard her cry out.

"Oh, EJ!"

Luckily, he made it back into his room before going into the violent rage that destroyed an expensive vase, a statue of the Greek god Zeus, a large section of dry wall, and the photograph of Nicole he kept sitting on his bedside table which he punched repeatedly with his bare hand until it was bleeding from several shards of broken glass which had penetrated his skin.

The sight of his blood covering the photograph of Nicole quickly sobered him up enough to realize what he was doing. He was acting like some crazy person, all over her mumbling something in regards to EJ in her sleep. For all he knew EJ was trying to murder her in her dream. But there was that smile. And the way she moved her hips. He shook his head, quickly dismissing the idea as paranoia striking again. He just needed one more good snort to get him through the night and tomorrow he would wake up completely refreshed and ready to tackle whatever the day might throw at him and get right back in his normal routine. Sadly, it was a promise he would find himself making every night from that day forward. 


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Salem

Three Weeks Later

"Here, catch," Brady exclaimed as he tossed an unopened, plastic-wrapped package of the baby's diapers in Nicole's direction, prompting her to drop what she was doing and receive the parcel being thrown at her before she found her body being assaulted by flying baby needs. She chuckled as she placed the piece into one of many open suitcase sprawled out on her bed, then turned to Brady and took a bow.

He approached her with a smile and grabbed her gently by the arm which was just this morning declared officially healed and subsequently freed from it's cast, and used it to carefully reel him toward her so he could slip his other arm around her waist.

"I see your reflexes are back to normal," he commented approvingly as his cheek brushed against hers while his arm around her waist pulled her closer and closer.

"Yes! Look, I can even do this," she purred, smiling seductively as she threw the arm in mention up around his neck, pulling his lips in towards hers for a kiss. She fought her instinct to pull away as he kissed her back hungrily. It was better to allow the things she was semi-comfortable with and reserve her refusals for when she really needed them. Thankfully for now he was satisfied with just a kiss since he was scheduled to depart for Greece in just little over an hour.

"I'm sorry babe. I've got to go and meet grandfather at the airport. Are you sure you'll be ok?"

"I'll be fine," she assured him as she began adjusting his tie until it's appearance suited her. "I'll have Slavenka here to help and you've already taken care of our transportation to the airport. What are you worried about? This isn't the first time I've been on a big ol' airplane, you know?"

"I know," he replied with a pout. "I just feel awful that you're going to be stuck flying commercially just so grandfather can fly in luxury."

"Yeah, but I also had the option of waiting for the jet to come back and collect me but I chose to fly commercially because I want to be with you ASAP." She leaned in and finished off her declaration with a soft peck to his lips, probably a result of the guilt she felt for spinning the tall tale. She was anxious to get to Greece, but it had absolutely nothing to do with spending quality time with Brady. Initially she'd been relieved to hear he planned on going out of town on business but when she heard where he was going and with whom, she began her campaign to join them. She knew very well from being married to the man that whenever there was 'business' to take care of in Greece that required his presence there, Victor was up to no good. Now if she could only find out exactly what kind of shady dealings were going on, she might still stand a chance at putting Victor behind bars, crossing paths with EJ on his way out. Between the inside info from Chad and all the chatter of EJ's possible release the media had been spreading, she wouldn't be one bit surprised if breaking news showed him strolling out of prison today and here she was well over a month into her plan now without any progress on the Victor front.

As it turned out, Brady had never intended to leave her behind which didn't surprise her since his behaviors were turning more stalkerish by the day. Every morning he would let himself into her suite, using Sawyer as his excuse to gain access, and insist on lingering there while she got herself and the kids ready for the day. Before she would leave the house, he would request her itinerary for the day. It was only in casual conversation of course, he wasn't being stern or demanding, or insisting that she submit the information in writing, but it was irritating. She was always one hundred percent forthcoming regarding her anticipated whereabouts, she had to be. The tiniest little inconsistency in her story could potentially be her ruin, especially since it seemed he was using the provided info to check up on her. Although she was barely in her office at Titan TV anymore, he somehow managed to make an appearance while she was there, typically armed with her usual grande, non-fat latte or a bite to eat. When Brandon and Chloe went away for two weeks on their honeymoon, he'd taken control of Belle and Alexander's transportation to and from school and took the liberty of speaking for her when he explained to Brandon upon his return that his assitance in that department was no longer needed. It didn't matter that she had considered relieving Brandon of the duty herself since Chloe had been advised during her last doctor's visit that she was developing pre-eclampsia and needed to take it easy. The fact remained that she and Brady had not discussed it and anything regarding her children's care was her decision to make, not his. But he was just trying to be the best partner he could possibly be. All his over-acheiving was a result of trying to please her, take care of her, prove he was a worthy partner, and in the end none of it would be good enough for her. She was surely guaranteed to end up in hell for what she was doing to Brady and all of her suffering in the meantime was probably well-deserved.

She decided to take a mini break from packing and amuse herself by sneaking into Victor's study for a little snoop. Since the house would be vacant for two weeks, the staff had been sent away with the exception of Slavenka who would be accompanying her to Greece. With the nurse preoccupied packing her own things, she settled down in Victor's massive leather office chair and began rummaging through the drawers of his desk. She'd been struggling for weeks to discover even the tiniest little crumb of info that might point her in the right direction but so far she had nothing. Whenever she was home, she spent as much time as possible in the common areas with hopes of overhearing something in a phone conversation. Nada. During her alone time with Brady in the evenings, she pumped him dry of everything he had to offer but there was absolutely nothing that might incriminate someone although she did however gain some useful knowledge of other business Titan was in the midst of pursuing that she had passed onto Chad during their meetings. The desk was proving to be as fruitless as her other sources but of course she knew it would be. Her actions were more for the sake of being able to claim she was doing something as opposed to resting on her laurels, or however that stupid expression goes.

She returned to her packing and upon completion, went over her list several times to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything important. Satisfied that she had packed significantly more than needed, she got Sawyer ready for his first trip to his mommy's workplace. One of the main reasons she was not able to leave with Brady this afternoon was because she promised the station she would have all of her segments for the next three weeks completed before she left and it just so happened that Sawyer, along with his big brother and sister, was going to be the star of one of the pieces. Belle and Alexander would be brought by later by Brandon per her own special request on this occasion after they were dismissed from school and then as soon as they were all done it was off to Greece they go. She had just filmed the segment describing Sawyer's dramatic birth when she got the phone call.

It was St. Luke's again. Nicole's heart began to race when she saw the name on her caller ID. Ever since the episode with Sydney, Belle had been experiencing difficulty concentrating in class. She had done the responsible thing, because that's what she was expected to do, by taking her to a psychologist even though she knew damn well no one would be able to help her little girl when she couldn't even speak the truth. The best she could do was to keep reminding her daughter that putting their family back together was her priority and pray that she would actually be able to deliver on the promise. She didn't need some doctor to figure out what the source of Belle's suffering was.

As it turned out, the school had called to inform Nicole that Belle and Alexander both were being sent home early due to illness. Little Alex had been escorted to the nurse's office after throwing up unexpectedly in class and his sister had joined him mere minutes later after her teacher noticed her flushed face and subtle groaning as a result of stomach discomfort. By the time Nicole made it to the school, brother and sister were sitting side by side with garbage pails in front of them, eagerly waiting her arrival.

She spent the remainder of her day caring for her poor sweet babies who were just completely miserable between vomiting every half hour on the dot and shivering from their plus one hundred degree fevers. She comforted them with tales of Princess Belle and Prince Alexander and all their adventures until the frequency of their vomiting decreased and they finally drifted off to sleep. Glancing at her phone, she replied to the multiple texts from Brady who was disappointed that her trip was being put off indefinitely, stating that she was equally upset. She had been so sure that she could get some dirt on Victor and now it was back to square one all over again. But poor Belle and Alex, bless their little hearts. Nothing was more important right now than nursing them back to health.

She tried to forget about everything and get some sleep herself but even though she felt exhausted, she couldn't fall asleep. She wasn't sure if it was merely nerves or if the thermostat needed serious adjusting for all of a sudden she felt like a Thanksgiving turkey roasting away in the oven. It was the weekend before Memorial Day and all of a sudden the weather had turned unexpectedly warm so it was quite possible that regulating the temperature had been overlooked with everyone expected to be out of the home. When she felt actual streams of sweat starting to trickle down her face, she couldn't help but think of how enticing the swimming pool had looked today. She quietly slipped out of bed and retrieved the new bikini she had just purchased from her dresser drawers. She slipped into it with ease and took a moment to inspect herself in the mirror to make sure she looked presentable, although she wasn't sure who she would need to impress in an empty mansion, and couldn't help but be pleased with her reflection. For someone who had just given birth a little over four months ago, she had a pretty rockin' bod. Of course barely eating for close to three months when Sawyer was hospitalized had helped her shed what little weight she gained in the first place rapidly, and regular trips, even though it was only fifteen minutes here or thirty minutes there, to the on-site gym provided her with all the equipment she needed to help tone her muscles back into shape. As an added bonus, being a nursing mother had done wonders for her chest, doubling her B cup to a D cup; something she fully intended to embrace while it lasted. She loved the way her cleavage showed in the bikini top and knew that EJ would enjoy it even more if he were there to witness.

After throwing on an ivory-colored crochet cover-up, she rapped soflty on Slavenka's door and informed her of the quick dip she intended to take and requested she look after the children until she returned and instructed she be called if they awoke. When she reached the pool, she stripped free of the cover-up and didn't hesitate to dive right in and completely submerge herself under the water. She didn't realize just how good it felt until she resurfaced and the cool breeze whipped across her dampened face. Preferring this sensation to that of actually bobbing up and down in the water, she swam to one of the nearby floating lounges and hopped aboard, sprawling out on her back after a quick adjustment to her bottoms which she'd had to remove from between her ass cheeks. She closed her eyes and attempted reaching nirvana by letting herself become one with her surroundings. She had just about reached that blissful state when all of a sudden, her senses alerted her that something was amiss. She just had the eerie feeling that she was being watched. Immediately, her eyes darted open and she sat upright on the raft, surveying her surroundings.

"Belle? Alex," she called out though she was completely convinced that if someone was indeed there it wasn't one of her children. The so far unexplained feeling was accompanied by a creepiness that wasn't possible to radiate from beings so pure an innocent. After a few minutes of nothing but silence, she began to relax again and write it off as some random woodland creature's presence which set her off. Then she saw him. The extremely muscular-looking tall, dark haired man had moved past the french doors which led to the living room that she'd left open. She had to cover her own mouth to keep from screaming. There was a swiftness in the way the man moved which told her that he wasn't an invited guest. Seeing him disappear in the direction of the stairs leading up to her floor brought her urgency to get inside and get help to new heights, but she was careful to not make too much noise, sliding into the water from the raft rather than jumping from it. She used underwater strokes to reach the ladder and pulled herself to the surface swiftly, not affected in the slightest by that feeling of weighing twice your actual weight after emerging from the water. She didn't bother to stop for her cover-up, or even a towel for that matter. All she could think about was getting inside and putting a stop to her intruder.

She'd left her cell phone upstairs, and the closest phone was in Victor's study. It was there that she slipped in to place the 9-1-1 call but, before she did, she reached under the center drawer of the desk and pulled the trigger which would release the secret drawer where Victor kept his handgun. With a one swift click she released the magazine to make sure it was loaded, then shoved it back into place and released her safety. It was then that the voice caught her off-guard and sent her flying at least six inches into the air.

"Nice work. You look like you've done that a time or two before."

When she landed, it was in the direction of the voice, and so was the gun that she pointed at the person responsible for it.

"Who the hell are you," she said with all the intimidation she could muster which was obviously having very little effect on the intruder, concluded from the smile spreading across his rather handsome face.

"I'm sorry if I've alarmed you, Miss Walker. I only meant to come and go without interrupting your swim. You weren't supposed to be here this evening, you know."

His thick Scottish accent was throwing her for a loop. She had grown accustomed to the occasional appearance of some Greek-accented goon she'd never seen before popping up at the mansion, but never a Scotsman. "Yes, I know that. Question is, how in the hell do you know that? Who are you?" _I certainly would have remembered meeting someone like you_, she added silently to herself.

His green eyes twinkled impishly as he slowly inched his way toward her. "You can put the gun down now, Miss Walker. I'm not here to hurt you or anyone. Uncle Victor knows I planned to stop by."

She gasped with shock as he reached forward and snatched the gun from her hand with minimal effort. So much for being a threat. "Did you say, Uncle Victor?"

"Yes. As in the Victor Kiriakis, just so we're clear. You know, the one that you were married to?"

"Ah. So how is it you know so much about me but I've never heard of you before. I thought I knew all of Victor's relatives."

She watched with interest as the finely chiseled man flinched and the veins started to bulge in his neck just like David Banner's did when he was turning into the Hulk. After some apparent internal battle of good vs. evil, or at the very least good vs. perturbed, had been decided, the cordial gentleman re-emerged the victor. "Well, I suppose that's because I never stay in one place long enough to bother with introductions but, since you asked so sweetly," he said sarcastically as he handed the gun back to her, "My name is Xander. Xander Cook."

**Note: For those who know that I loved me some Xander and at one time was pushing hard for an Xcole pairing, I want to assure you that is not my intention with using him in this story. He is someone Nicole quickly figures out could be very useful to her and she will simply be working her magic on yet another clueless victim. His infatuation with her however is very real, as is the case with her entire entourage of unsuspecting male followers.**

**Thank you for reading! I hope that you all are enjoying!**


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Salem

Same Evening

"OK, Mr. Cook. Looks like you're off the hook," Nicole announced as she ended her call with Brady and set the ancient rotary phone receiver back on it's base sitting atop Victor's enormous, solid oak desk. She then returned the gun she'd been hesitant to put down back to the secret drawer before she forgot, assuring that it would be out of her children's reach. Xander, AKA Alexandros as she learned was his full name via some shouting back and forth between Victor and Brady, sat in one of two chairs which would face the entity manning the desk, looking like an unruly scholar who'd just been sent to the headmaster's office. She couldn't help but notice though that between all the eye-rolling and sulking, his eyes managed to wander over her glistening, bikini-clad body when he thought she wasn't looking.

"My apologies," she offered with a smile, taking a seat on the corner of the desk closest to him, dangling her long, perfectly tapered legs dangerously close to his. She watched with private amusement as he squirmed a little in his seat, struggling to remain unaffected by her closeness. She was intrigued with her surprise guest, but not in the same way she might have reacted to a seemingly well-to-do man with such indisputably good looks in the past. This time, her interest in the hot Scot was strictly business. The conversation with Brady had raised more questions than answers although she refused to let Xander be the wiser to her piqued curiosity. Victor, who would usually be more than thrilled to have her out of his way, could be heard in the background instructing Brady to inform her how beautiful the weather was, and how she needed to hurry up and get over there so she wouldn't miss out on all the fun. When she paired Victor's uncharacteristic warm invite with Xander's admission that he should have been doing whatever he was doing at the mansion in her absence, she started to smell smoke. Maybe she had been wrong about Victor's methods all along. Was it possible he was going to Greece to distance himself from something going on back here at home? It certainly appeared Victor was distancing himself from Xander and had been for pretty much all of his nephew's life. At least on the surface. Suddenly she felt like a little girl who had just accidentally stumbled upon her Christmas gifts, forced to contain her discovery until the big day. This was it. The lucky break she'd been waiting for.

"No worries, Miss Walker, I completely understand," Xander explained as he rose to his feet, seemingly eager to make his exit. "It was a perfectly normal reaction to seeing a strange man roaming around your home. I promise I won't be bothering you again."

"Who said you were bothering me," she inquired with a smile that suggested the same. "We're practically family, Xander. Don't you think we should try to get to know one another."

Xander smiled politely, but she could tell that the gesture had not come easily. There seemed to be some kind of disturbance plaguing him. If only she could put her finger on it.

"As lovely as that sounds," he began to explain, "I'm afraid my professional obligations keep me very busy, which I'm sure is why our paths never crossed before."

"So, what does that mean? You're already on your way out of town again? Heading back to the homeland, which is where, by the way?"

"That would be Scotland for me. My father always said there was one too many Greeks in Greece, which is why he relocated to Scotland where he met my mother."

"A-ha! I thought so. I know my accents, you see."

"You're a sucker for a foreign, tongue are you?" He must have immediately realized the possible sexual implications that could been extracted from his statement and, as a result, blushed.

"You could say that," she said as she carefully crafted each word and expression to follow as was typical whenever she brought up the subject of EJ. "One in particular. At least I was."

Xander's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the woman who had been captivating him for the past half hour or so. Uncle Victor had warned him not to cross her path. Nicole Walker was a vicious, soul-sucking, money-grubbing whore, at least that had been the gist of his uncle's rantings, who couldn't be trusted. Even if his uncle had not made every attempt to drill this into his brain, he would have been wary of her on his own accord. After all, she had married the smooth-talking Brit she no doubt was referring to: EJ DiMera, son of his uncle's arch-nemesis, Stefano DiMera. Not only had she once been a DiMera herself, she was now tied forever to the rival family by bearing two children who had DiMera blood coursing through their veins. Brady planning to marry this woman was something that a man like his father would not have tolerated, and he couldn't imagine his uncle allowing it either. It was then that a shocking realization hit him that caused him to grow pale. Although he hadn't been given the official instruction just yet, he was pretty sure what his uncle's special assignment would entail. There had only been one prior occasion when Victor had summoned him to Salem under similar pretenses, and that was to put one of his strongest talents to use. In addition to being one of his highest earners, he was a smooth, cold-blooded killer who was capable of making people disappear without a trace. The last time, it had been one of the diamond smugglers he'd recruited himself who dared to show up in Salem, threatening to expose his uncle if his demands for more money were not met. This time, he was pretty sure he was standing face to face with his next victim.

There was a possibility he was wrong. There was always a first time for everything and whatever this extra-curricular activity Victor had hinted about would be just a side job to the main reason he'd been asked to make the rare trip to Salem. After years and years of doing Victor's dirty work, things were finally starting to look up for him. Since the day his father had passed unexpectedly when he was just a boy of sixteen, he'd looked to his uncle to fill the void he left behind. He'd expressed his interest to move to America and one day go to work for Titan under his tutelage, but Victor had other plans. He had been excited to fulfill the position being offered, for his uncle had stressed it was a job so important that he couldn't trust just anyone with it. He was looking to get into the diamond trade where there would be good money but of course the big bucks wouldn't come from legitimate business so he needed to learn the fine art of smuggling them out of the country to be sold to the highest bidder, which were usually terrorists. He, Xander Cook, as he was now known since his uncle insisted the name change was necessary to disassociate him with the family, had single-handedly implemented and grew that division of Victor's business. In just a couple of weeks from now, he would coordinate the delivery of what would be his biggest score to date and his presence had been requested to make sure everything went smoothly. His uncle had taken the family out of the country as a precaution in case things didn't go quite as planned. This was typical of Victor. It was his instruction for him to stick around town long enough for the family to return from Greece which had him worried. Nicole should have been on that trip.

Worried? Wait, why should he be worried. If that is indeed what Uncle Victor wants, so be it. He certainly had never flinched over murdering someone before. But he'd never murdered a woman and he certainly couldn't imagine doing a thing to defile the beautiful creature standing before him now. And beside her exceptionally beautiful face and perfect body, there seemed to be this vulnerability about her despite all her sass and bravado which made her seem about as threatening as a ball of cotton, at least as long as she herself didn't feel threatened. Still, there was no going against his uncle's orders. All he could do was hope that he was terribly wrong. He shook his head as he tried to dispel the unpleasantries from his brain and rejoined the conversation.

"Well, that's all in the past now. By the sound of things, you and Brady are pretty solid again, and you have a son together. I'm sure you're not the first woman in the world who just got mixed up with the wrong kind of guy. It must have been some ordeal you just went through. I'm glad to see you and your children made it out safe and sound."

"Who are you," a small voice chirped in inquisitively from behind Nicole. He had been so entranced by her that he hadn't noticed the little girl enter the room.

"Oh, honey, what are you doing out of bed," Nicole half-heartedly scolded her little one as she crouched down in front of her and pulled her into a hug. Curious hands reached out in effort to detect any indication of fever from Belle's forehead and the back of her neck as if she were a certified human thermometer. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up, princess. Mommy was just feeling a little warm so I went for a dip in the pool. That's when I met Xander here. Xander is a relative of Brady's and he was just stopping by to say hello."

Belle looked at him skeptically and offered a weak, unenthused, 'hello.'

"Hello sweetheart."

"I'm sorry to cut this short, Xander, but two out of three of my little ones are sick so I'm going to have to excuse myself upstairs."

"Of course, it was nice meeting you, Nicole. And you as well, Belle is it?"

"Yes, it's Belle," Nicole answered for her daughter who was whimpering in discomfort as she buried her face in Nicole's stomach. Nicole crouched down again so she was eye level with her munchkin. "Honey, why don't you go back on up to bed and mommy will be right behind you, ok? No more than two minutes, I promise. I'm just going to see Xander out, ok?"

"Feel better soon, Belle," Xander called after the darling little girl who could be her mother's twin with a genuine concern he'd never even felt for a child before. What in the world was going on?

"I appreciate your formality, but I do know my way out, you know," he chided Nicole playfully.

"I'm sure you do," she replied with a flirtatious smile. "I just wanted to make sure that you knew your way back."

'What do you mean," he answered, his eyes twinkling with intrigue.

"Well, by the way you were talking before it sounded like you were going to disappear and I was never going to see you again. Like I said, we're going to be family. I'd like to get to know you."

Was she purposely making those lips so kissably pouty, or was that all just part of her natural makeup? He found himself chanting the reminder that this was Brady's girl he was talking to.

"Well, I'll be in town for a couple of weeks. I-"

"Good. It's settled then. You come over tomorrow night for dinner. Wait, forget dinner. Where are you staying?"

"I'm at the Salem-"

"Uh-uh, nope. Don't be ridiculous, you're family and this mansion has a gazillion free bedrooms, nevermind the fact that it's practically empty now aside from little ol' me and my troop. Tomorrow when you come for dinner, you come prepared to stay. Victor would have a fit if he knew his nephew was in town and wasn't staying here." In all actuality, she was getting the impression that Victor didn't want him at the mansion at all but, if that was indeed the case, presenting her theory to the contrary would render Xander unable to dispute it since under normal circumstances it would be an accurate statement.

"Oh, no Nicole, I couldn't. I appreciate the offer but I don't want to be in your way."

Nicole rolled her eyes. "I just met a staff member who's worked here for twenty years that I never met before because I'd never ventured into the west wing. Trust me, you won't be in the way."

"Oh come on," he said, helplessly surrendering to an adoring grin cast in her direction. "You're spinning tall tales now, Nicole Walker. I don't believe that for a second."

She inched toward him and took him completely by surprise as she grabbed him by the tie, giving it a full twist around her hand as she used it as a sort-of leash to yank him toward her. "Would you believe I'm the kind of girl who doesn't take no for an answer?

He found himself answering in a voice that was nearly a full octave above that of his normal speaking one, brought on undoubtedly by the sudden arousal her playful little gesture had caused. "Yes, yes I would."

"Then would you please do me this favor? I could really use the company, actually. It looks like with the kids being sick and me falling behind with my work project, I'm not going to be able to make the trip to Greece after all. I would really feel much safer having you around."

He couldn't help but be sucked in by her desperate plea as he stared down into those big baby blues which had grown teary with hopefulness. He found himself only able to nod in response in lieu of words.

"Good, it's settled then. Dinner is at six o'clock sharp, so don't be late. And remember to bring your things. Oh, and you'll bring dinner too. That new little Indian place in the square makes the most amazing Chicken Tikka Masala."

He wasn't sure just how long he'd stood there after she'd closed the door in his face. One, two, or maybe as many as ten, minutes had passed before he staggered off the doorstep and climbed into his car. He didn't want to leave. He wished he'd been on the ball enough to suggest he might stay tonight as well, but he didn't want to come off as over-anxious. She was Brady's girl which meant she was realisticaly off-limits, but that never stopped him from having a little fun. It was always interesting to test just how loyal a woman would be to her mate, and he would only push her as far as she allowed it to go. If they ended up being nothing more to each other than someone to talk to, so be it. He was already that enthralled by her to be satisfied by just merely being in the same room.

Brady however was the least of his concerns. He had been warned to not let anyone see him go into the mansion and Nicole had busted him. He was fully expecting his uncle to ream him a new one any time now. Speak of the devil. Xander had felt his cell phone buzzing away from his interior jacket pocket throughout most of his interaction with Nicole. Just as he suspected, it was his uncle who had been calling him repeatedly and was now attempting to reach him once more. After taking a deep sigh to calm his nerves, he swiped his finger across the screen to answer the call.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN? WHY DIDN'T YOU PICK UP? PLEASE DON'T TELL ME YOU WERE TALKING TO THAT NO-GOOD TRAMP!"

"Yes, uncle I was," he admitted readily. There was no use in debating what Victor already knew. He had been at the mansion and she'd held him at gun point until she had confirmed his story. Of course they had talked.

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM HER, YOU UNDERSTAND? UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE ARE YOU TO INTERACT WITH HER. JUST STAY AWAY FROM THE MANSION ALTOGETHER FROM NOW ON UNTIL I GET BACK TO SALEM."

"Yes, uncle, of course," he found himself replying obediently although he had no intention of keeping the promise. The way he saw it was, what uncle Victor didn't know wouldn't hurt him, and Nicole seemed like the kind of girl who would be a good sport about keeping secrets.

"SHE'S GOT HER NOSE IN EVERYONE'S BUSINESS AND THE LAST THING WE NEED IS HER CATCHING WIND OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING FOR ME. CONSIDERING WHAT I HAVE IN STORE FOR THAT WITCH, LET ME JUST PUT IT THIS WAY, IT'LL BE IN YOUR BEST INTEREST THAT YOU WERE NEVER SEEN WITH HER."

Xander swallowed back a wave of vomit burning the back of his throat. He had been right about his assumption. Victor wanted her gone. FUCK! He tried not to panic at the thought of carrying out this terrible, impending assignment. He could have misread the message. His uncle's implications had not made it clear enough for him to know beyond a shadow of a doubt this was what Victor wanted, but he had dealt with the man enough to rank his confidence at about a nine-point-nine on a scale from one to ten. Hits had never bothered him before, but the idea of this one did. For the first time in his life, he felt the need to know why he was being asked to do it. Of course he couldn't propose the question to his Uncle, but getting to know Nicole could help. He planned to have several, lengthly conversations with her over the course of the next couple weeks when she would hopefully open her heart to him, but he also knew getting the complete story meant he would have to do some digging of his own. At the conclusion of his investigation, he might or might not find himself able to comply with uncle's bidding. It was the first time he ever considered saying no to his uncle and wondered if he actually possessed the gumption needed to refuse his request when the time came.

He was awake for most of the night, lying on his side with his laptop resting beside him on the bed, doing his homework. Nicole had certainly been a very naughty girl in her recent years. Kidnapping, extortion, blackmail, murder, attempted muder of Victor nonetheless...it was no wonder he wanted her gone. The fact that she was still breathing now was an enigma in itself. But before all that he read about things that were far more horrific than anything she'd been convicted of. Vile, unforgivable things which should never be allowed to happen to anyone, nevermind to a young girl at the wicked hands of her own father. He watched the youtube video on her station's own channel where she told the sickening story herself, and right then and there he knew he had Nicole Walker pegged. She was a fearless fighter and a dangerous threat to anyone who might attempt to violate her sense of security. He had seen a glimpse of that when she had pulled the gun on him. He could practically hear her saying 'take one step closer to me motherfucker and I won't hesitate to blow out your fucking brains,' as she had gazed upon him with that stone-cold stare. She wasn't afraid of anyone, including Victor fucking Kiriakis, and that right there was reason enough alone for his uncle to want her dead. Victor survived by instilling fear and he simply didn't know how to deal with someone who wasn't intimidated by his presence. With that said, he was sure Victor still had other reasons for wanting to kill her, most likely so Brady was free to raise his son as he saw fit without the threat of Nicole one day picking up and running off with some other man. Bottom line was, it would be just cheaper to kill her than to spend money battling it out in court, especially considering she would just lose anyway.

The next day when he showed up for dinner armed with a bag full of steaming-hot Indian food as instructed, she was wearing considerably more clothing than the last time he'd seen her and bouncing an adorable, little baby boy with wispy light brown hair and bright blue eyes on her lap. At first glance, the sight of the baby was alarming. The delicate oxygen tubing wrapped around his head forcing the air in through his nose was connected to a large concentrator which vibrated and hummed loudly in the distance. While the machine was quite harrowing in appearance itself, the disposition of the darling baby boy hooked upto it was anything but. He was a lively little bugger whose curiosity of his surroundings never seemed to cease, and anytime his mother or one of his siblings addressed him he would gurgle and squeal excitedly in response, adding even more flush to his already rosy,irresistably pinchable, chubby little baby cheeks.

"You're right on time," she said to him with a wink as she handed Sawyer over to his nurse to be put down for a nap. "As you must know, we run a tight ship over here at the Kiriakis mansion."

Xander was glad that he hadn't anything in his mouth when she'd performed the near-perfect imitation of Victor for at least the latter half of the statement. It was bad enough she may have fallen victim to a spray of his spittle when he'd burst into the sudden, unexpected fit of laughter.

"I'm sorry," she apologized still giggling at her own silliness. "I know he's your uncle and all but, F-Y-I, we don't get along. I don't know if you're aware of this, but we were actually married once."

"Yeah, he mentioned it," he replied flatly, failing to elaborate for the sake of avoiding the unpleasant topic. There was obviously only one reason why a knockout, then twenty-something like Nicole Walker would marry a man nearly forty years her senior. He didn't like reminding himself of those reasons why doing away with her might seem almost justifiable.

"I know how that must sound and whatever you're thinking my reasons were, you're probably right, but I was a much different person back then."

He shook his head dramatically in disapproval. "Nicole, look, you don't have to explain yourself to me. In fact, if you insist upon spending this entire evening talking about things like my Uncle, or say, Daniel Jonas, I'm going to turn right back around and take this bag full of divine-smelling food with me."

"Hey, don't you dare go anywhere with that food," she said giggling as grabbed the arm of his jacket and held on for dear life. "And what pray-tell does Daniel have to do with anything? You know him?"

She could tell by the way his eyes narrowed when she spoke his name that not only did Xander know him, he must know him well enough to dislike him. "I have met Daniel, but it's been quite a few years ago now. Uncle Victor talks about him though. Often. So much so in fact that you'd think Daniel Jonas was his bloody nephew."

That's it, Xander. Keep talking. He'd barely been there fifteen minutes and already her mental notebook was full of juicy tidbits that would come in handy when she figured out exactly how to piece everything together.

She honestly did enjoy his company. When she'd told him it was nice to talk to someone that wasn't Brady or her brother, it had been a true statement. Of course he got the same old concocted story that everyone else on the outside got, and she got more than she cared to listen to when the topic of EJ came up again, but having to sit quietly through his negative comments was a small price to pay for the reward she would receive in the end. It seemed the more open and honest she was with him, the more he opened up to her about his life which she found to be most fascinating. Especially the part where she discovered exactly how she was going to use him to destroy Victor once and for all.

She'd accomplished this in almost two weeks exactly, and with utilizing little more than a little innocent flirting. Of course he hadn't just come right out and admitted he was smuggling diamonds for Victor and that he was on the verge of closing another deal. It was a late night discovery she had made when she put all her collected evidence together. The most damning information had come from reading the incoming texts on his cell which she had free access to once he'd passed out drunk on the sofa. While he drank his sedative-laced scotch, she sipped her coke with a few drops of rum extract dropped in to provide at least the scent of the alcohol. She didn't need to fake a buzz. Knowing she was so close to destroying Victor made her giddy in a way that even alcohol couldn't top.

She could hardly wait to tell Chad the good news. Not only did she now know exactly how she was going to bring Victor down, she knew the when and where and the timing couldn't be better since it seemed like any day now EJ could be a free man. The next day was going to be a busy one for Nicole Walker. Brady and Victor were returning home and somewhere during the day she was going to need to find the time to escape Brady's possessive clutches and "go to the doctor" and meet up with her good buddy Rafe Hernandez where she could seek some advice and helpful how-to information. She was almost certain that no one or nothing would be able to top her good news.

The next day while Brady was in the midst of mauling her body upon his return from Greece, she got the call from the doctor's office requesting that she reschedule her next appointment. That was the only way she and Chad could communicate that they needed to see one another immediately for something that couldn't wait and apparently, he had reasons of his own for wanting to meet and had beat her to the punch. It was settled that she would meet Chad in just little over an hour's time. Little did she know, it wasn't Chad this time who had made the arrangement.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Salem

Same Day

Nicole sat opposite Brady in the back seat of the sleek, black luxury car, which was currently enroute to drop her off at her doctor's appointment, rubbing her hands together nervously in her lap as the radio newscaster speculated over some new developments which were expected to make her uneasy. According to the reporter, EJ DiMera was in the midst of a surprise hearing that he was expected to walk away a free man from. Her performance spoke of a woman terrified at the idea of her tormenter free to pursue her once more. Privately, she wished he would kidnap her and the children and take them away somewhere where noone would ever find them again.

"I don't want you to worry about this Nic. I won't let him come anywhere near you, I promise," Brady whispered as he reached across their baby boy nestled snugly in his carseat between them and grabbed her hand for comfort.

"You promised me he would never get out of jail in the first place," she barked back angrily. Again, because that was how she should react.

"I know," Brady replied, hanging his head in defeat. "I'm sorry I let you down. I just never thought...Chad...Jesus, where the FUCK did that come from?"

She was forced to bite down on her lip to refrain from smiling. A tiny wave of guilt washed over her as she again contemplated what she was doing to Brady but, in recent weeks, her regrets had become more infrequent. She constantly reminded herself that she wasn't doing this for shits and giggles, it was out of necessity. If she had left Brady to fight for EJ's freedom, Victor would have taken Sawyer from her. It wasn't speculation or paranoia, it was fact. Initially she'd never imagined Brady playing an active role in the custody battle himself but now, she was beginning to wonder. He was beginning to show a side of himself that she'd never witnessed before and she honestly wasn't sure if it was something that she'd simply overlooked all these years or if it was just rearing it's ugly head for the first time. He was becoming extremely possessive of both her and their son.

Brady had barely been home a few hours and already he'd been hovering a little too close for comfort. If she so much as disappeared out of his sight to go to the bathroom, he was nearby waiting for her to reappear. When he was away he'd called her so many times a day that by midday she'd lost count. Right before he'd left, it had gotten to the point where when she'd left the house she was afraid to do anything which might raise a question since he seemed to know her every move. The past two hours had been spent discussing how he thought she should quit her job at Titan TV and just stay at home with the kids, where she would be safe and protected. Where he could watch over her all day long. She didn't doubt that was a promise he would keep but she had no intentions of quitting her job. At least not until she could finish her story.

"I don't know if this is such a good idea either anymore, Nic," Brady said as the car pulled over to the curb across the street from the office building which sat on the corner of the town square. "I don't want to give him the opportunity to see you out and about and learn your routine. I think we should just have the doc make house calls from now on."

Nicole was in no mood for protesting, at least not right now. She couldn't wait to see Chad so she could get the inside scoop on EJ and brainstorm their next move and she wasn't about to prolong their meeting with a poorly-timed argument. For now, she replied with, "You're probably right."

She was about to slip out of the car when she found herself being tugged backward. Brady had a good grip around her upper arm and used it to pull her back toward him with an unpleasant, unexpected force. For a moment she thought she was going to come crashing down right on top of Sawyer but Brady had leaned in at the same time too, causing her back to make contact with his chest which was shielding the baby.

"Brady-"

She was interrupted by his tongue forcing it's way into her mouth unexpectedly. The awkward invasion caused all her muscles to freeze as she was suddenly unsure how to react. If it had been anyone other than Brady she surely would have slapped them or worse. There was nothing romantic or even playful about the way he was kissing her and acting purely on instinct at this point, she began to pull away. The hand which once merely rested on the back of her neck reached up and grabbed a handful of her hair and used the makeshift rein to immobilize her head as his tongue continued the unwanted intrusion. Her lips tried to draw away from his to dispel her astonished gasp, but his mouth refused to relinquish it's hold and remained tightly clamped on hers. She was spared making the decision what to do when he abruptly ended the kiss and finished her off with an innocent peck to the forehead, as if there was absolutely nothing at all creepy about the way he'd just manhandled her. The smile on his face said the same, but when she looked into his eyes she was met with a bitter coldness which caused her entire body to break out in goosebumps.

"Have a good session with the doc. When you're done we'll go have some lunch."

"OK," she found herself nodding submissively. The tone of his voice even was remarkably deceptive with all of it's soothing notes and inflections. It was just those damn wild eyes, and the dominance that he'd handled her with. For a moment she found herself considering that it wasn't Brady at all. Maybe Victor had furnished her with some doppleganger of his grandson and Sawyer. Maybe Brady and Victor were in cahoots after all and now Brady was raising his son alone on some Mediterranean island that they probably owned and she would never know the difference. But she did know the difference, and even if she was uncertain about Brady's behavior at the moment, no one could fool her when it came to her children. It was undoubtedly her little boy smiling brightly up at her from his carseat.

"Mommy will see you soon, Cookie, ok?" It was a nickname that just began to stick when she'd used the old idiom when explaining Sawyer's health issues to Xander. Of course she couldn't use it for long because she would soon embarrass the heck out of him if she dared to call him that when dropping him off at school, but she planned to get away with it as long as possible. Besides, at present he seemed to like it since he let out a big squeal of delight when she'd said it just now, prompting her to shower him with kisses before her departure. When the car pulled away from the curb, she could hear him starting to wail from her disappearing out of his sight. He was just now starting to react to her not being around and it was an action which both upset and thrilled her at the same time. Obviously she didn't like to see any of her children cry for any reason, but she couldn't help but cherish every second of this incredible bonding period that she'd been robbed of with her two eldest children.

By the time she reached the office, she felt nauseus from the whole ordeal with Brady. Her only consolation came from knowing that they were getting closer to victory, and she could hardly wait to find out what news Chad had for her and to share what she'd found out about Victor's diamond smuggling operation. When she threw open the door to the office, she groaned at the sight inside.

There was no light except the soft glow of two white candlesticks flickering around a vase displaying a single red rose. In addition to this arrangement, there was a place-setting for two sitting atop the folding card table which had been draped with a crisp, white linen tablecloth, and a bottle of red wine chilling off to the side. Sitting behind one of those place settings was Chad, grinning from ear-to-ear.

She had forgotten that their next meeting was 'date night,' and was disappointed since she now assumed Chad's urgency to see her was nothing more than jitters over his impending first date with Peyton Matthews. She had promised to give him some pointers and role-play the entire date from soup to nuts but obviously that was going to have to be put on the backburner for now.

"Chad, honey, I'm sorry to disappoint but we have bigger fish to fry right now. You are not going to believe what I've found out about Victor!" She rushed into the room frantically, throwing her purse at her feet as she collapsed into the chair across from him. She reached out and grabed one of his hands resting at the side of his plate and shook it excitedly, causing him to chuckle. It was then that she finally got her first good look at him and noticed his black eye.

"What happened to you," she gasped as she immediately sprang to her feet and ran to his side to get a better look.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Some jealous prick got upset when he found out I kissed his girl. No big deal."

His eyes were twinkling with mischeif, a clear indication that she genuinely needn't be worried. "Wow, I'm impressed. You're becoming quite the womanizer. See, you're not even going to need my help at all. And jeez! Look at those arms!" She couldn't resist the urge to grab his biceps for a quick fondling. "I hope you gave Mr. Angry a nice little tap in return."

Chad let out a nervous titter. "Yeah, well, not this guy. I'm lucky he didn't kill me."

"Well, was it worth it at least? Was she a good kisser?"

"Incredible," he replied with a wink in a barely audible whisper. "Now, before you tell me the good news about Victor, I have a little surprise for you so, just bear with me, ok."

"OK, but make it quick! Sorry. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but-"

She was cut short by something being pulled over her head which came to rest over her eyes. A blindfold. The soft, silky kind that really doesn't do the job effectively and is more or less just for show.

"Chad, what are you doing?" What's with the blindfold?"

"You'll see. Just humor me, ok. Don't peek. I'll be right back."

She sighed loudly as she heard the door click shut softly behind him. They didn't have much time and they were losing precious minutes with all this silly pageantry. She was just about to peel the blindfold off her head and go in search of him when she suddenly felt a presence stir within the room. Her heart began to pound wildly in her chest. She hadn't heard the door reopen so either as Chad walked out, someone, maybe Chad again, came back in or, this presence had been in the room with them all along. She tried to control her breathing but her heaving chest was surely giving her away. At first she didn't know what she was reacting to; uneasiness, fear? Once the inital shock wore off however, she was able to pinpoint the source of her increased heart rate and heavy breathing. She recognized the presence. She hadn't run because she wasn't scared and she didn't even do so much as remove the blindfold for she knew that as Chad had promised, she would be rewarded for her patience.

She was smiling now as the presence drew nearer and his scent permeated the air surrounding them. Two month's worth of tears reserved for this day began to flood her eyes, most of which were absorbed by the blindfold before they had the chance to glide down her reddened cheeks. When she felt his hand cup her chin and tilt her head upward, she let out the faintest little emotional whimper until his lips finally arrived to silence her suffering with his long-awaited kiss. His strong arms enveloped her entire upper body and held her close to him in the most warm and loving embrace she had ever known, but she was no stranger to it.

There were brief moments when one of them considered pulling away. There were declarations of love to be made and important matters to discuss, but neither one was capable of letting go, at least not yet. They hadn't even bothered to remove her blindfold even though she couldn't wait to see his face and vice versa. She had always tried to imagine what the first thing she'd say to him would be and the long- awaited reunion was playing out very much like the fantasies she'd conjured up. For a very long while, they said nothing at all. The passion of their kisses spoke of things far more wonderful than words could ever describe anyway.

It was she who initiated the disrobing by frantically undoing the tie around his neck, and he reciprocated by carefully unbuttoning her blouse although he would have much preferred to just rip it open. She loved it when he did that but unfortunately for now, she would need her blouse in one piece for later. With tops removed, she went straight for his belt while his hands slid up under her skirt and his mouth finally freed her lips from his embrace only so that it was free to explore other areas of her lightly perspiring body.

She refrained from speaking. Any attempt at conversation right now would only distract from the task at hand. Yes, there were important matters to be discussed, but there were also essential human needs which needed to be fulfilled which also deserved their undivided attention. It would have to be brief, and it was clear that they shared this understanding by the pace of their actions. Normally, they could have gone on like this for hours, kissing, touching, or not, depending on how long one intended to make the other suffer before they were reduced to begging, but today it would have to be the Cliff's Notes version of their lovemaking which only meant that each one would work harder to give it everything they had. Sharing the mutual understanding of where this was going, he led her to the desk where they would have a more stable workspace, and with one swipe of his arm he cleared the the top of any obstacles.

They didn't bother undressing all the way. With their time constraints it was just an unneccesary measure since the remaining parts were fairly easily accessed. With pants and panties now down around their ankles and her skirt hoisted up around her waist, it was all smooth sailing from there. He slid into her with minimal effort. The five minutes or so of their abbreviated foreplay had been more than enough for her body to prepare for what was to come. His in and out thrusts had also seemed effortless since they developed this perfect rhythm where she used her legs to glide him in even deeper. He hadn't bothered to unhook her bra initially but he now found his fingers fumbling with the hooks. After about two seconds of non-success, he proceeded to simply lift it off over her head and immediately began kissing the freshly exposed skin of one of her breasts while his hand firmly caressed the other so it wouldn't feel neglected.

He loved the way she threw her head back in ecstacy. He knew that the head toss combined with the way her fingernails dug into the small of his back that she was ready to come, and so was he. Feeling the trembling of his thighs cued her to tighten her legs around him and pull him in as deep as her body would allow. Like clockwork, he delivered his goods with that one final thrust and she let out that familiar, carnal moan of pleasure he loved so much to hear as her head collapsed against his heaving chest. His strong arms encompassed her upper body once more, and he held her close to him while intermittently kissing her forehead between attempts to regain his breath. She lay there quietly, savoring every moment of being in his arms for she knew that all too soon it would have to come to an end.

She heard him chuckle softly just before sliding the blindfold away from her eyes. She had gotten so lost in the fantasy of being with him that she'd seen it all as perfectly as if she had been watching the both of them as a spectator and forgotten all about it. After a minimal adjustment to the candlelight, she was finally able to see the face which had been confined to only a computer screen or her dreams for far too long.

"Oh, EJ, it's you," she gasped with mock surprise, as if she'd expected to see someone else.

"Very funny," he replied, smiling down at her adoringly. "I almost started to worry, but then I remembered that you were being kissed by the world's greatest kisser. Surely you had to know it was me."

"Of course," she replied smiling sweetly as her hand reached up to cup his chin. "How did you...I thought you were in a hearing?"

"I was, but it was much earlier this morning. I bought us a little extra time by making sure the media had false details about the time. I was out of there before they even showed up."

"Because you know Brady is going to be watching you like a hawk now that he knows you're out."

EJ nodded, then applied another peck to her forehead. "I know. But, the good news is, I also bought us some extra time with your lovely doctor so, we have another hour or so of unsupervised time, to do whatever we please."

"I can think of several things I'd love to do with you right now," Nicole cooed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "But we can't, EJ. There's so much we need to talk about."

"I know, but first and foremost, I need to know, how are you holding up?"

"I'm ok. Besides missing you like crazy, I'm hanging in there, but I can't wait for this to just be over with already. I'm worried about our babies. Belle is trying so hard to be brave, and Alex is trying to understand, but he doesn't fully comprehend what's going on."

"It's going to be alright. I'm here now, thanks to you. You do know that I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you."

Nicole blushed. "Oh, come on, it was mostly Chad. He-"

"Chad would not have done a damn thing if you hadn't come around barking orders at him. Chad did a lot of the legwork, yes, but this is your brainchild, darling."

"Yeah, yeah-"

Next thing she knew, his mouth was in her ear, singing softly. "Did I ever tell you you're my hero."

She started giggling. "Oh my god, honey-"

"You're everything I wish I could be." His arm was around her waist now, and coaxing her from her sitting position on the edge of the desk to her feet where he began to lead her in a slow dance.

She was still laughing, but her chuckles slowly faded as she reached that euphoric state of knowing she was equally loved in return by the man she'd long ago given her heart to.

"I can fly higher than an eagle. Cuz you are the wind beneath my wings."

"Honey, did I ever tell you you're my cornball?"

It was he who was chuckling now. "Speaking of cornballs," he began as he reached into her purse and retrieved her cell phone. "Brady. You better call him."

"Oh shit, right," she said as she eagerly snatched the phone and dialed. EJ used this time to redress while still keeping a close ear to her interaction with Mr. Black. Not that he wished to invade her privacy, or didn't trust her, it was Brady he was concerned with. Chad had been keeping him up to date on Nicole and had commented how some of her comments regarding Brady were alarming. Her current conversation was no exception. She'd had to repeat and explain herself more than once, and what should have been a simple admonition of her intended activities had turned into her asking his permission to continue seeking treatment. Either he was suspicious of something or he was turning into a complete control freak. Probably both.

When she was finally off the phone, he proposed something to her. "Sweetheart, look. You don't have to do this anymore. I'm free. We have both the financial and influential backing we need to fight Victor. We-"

"Yeah, but so does he," she interrupted with the harsh reminder. "So, OK maybe we win initially, but he'll fight back until he gets his way. And so will we. And so it goes, back and forth, and back and forth, until what? Somebody dies? I don't want our kids to be the victims of another DiMera-Kiriakis war, especially when we're so close. Honey, we are so close I can taste it. I found something that will neuter Victor once and for all. If everything goes as planned, he will be going away for the rest of his miserable life."

"What makes you think he won't just buy himself a way out?"

"Because, honey, this is huge. We're not talking your average everyday thug kind of stuff, we're talking terrorism."

"Terrorism?"

"Yes. Victor is smuggling blood diamonds. Guess who his preferred buyers are? This one dude he's planning to sell to, I looked him up. He has ties to ISIS. You can get away with a lot of shit in this country, but not that. Victor Kiriakis is going down."

"And just how, pray tell darling, did you manage to unearth this delectable little tidbit, hmm?"

Nicole threw her head back and started cackling wickedly. "Try a jealous nephew, who just happens to run the entire operation, with some serious anger and resentment issues. Thanks to him, I know the who, what, when, where, why, and how and all I have to do is put a little bug in the ear of the FBI. Xander Cook will do all the rest."

EJ raised an eyebrow at her skeptically. "Is that so? And how do you know you can trust this Xander Cook."

"Oh, I don't. He doesn't know yet that he's going to help us. That's the really fun part."

"Sweetheart, I need you to be careful. I've had some people look into this Xander fellow. He's dangerous. Precisely why you nor I have ever seen or heard of him before. He's Victor's right hand man, darling."

"Yeah, and what thanks does he get," she said, throwing her arms up in dramatic frustration. "That's all I heard out of Xander the entire two weeks he spent at the mansion. He resents the fact that he does so much for Victor and the man doesn't even want him at his house, yet Victor's all Daniel Jonas this, and Daniel Jonas that." She couldn't resist a little giggle as the next thought occurred to her. "Wait until he finds out about Daniel's birthday party."

EJ was silent as he contemplated.

"Honey, this is our guy. We turn him in and he gets pinched, the FBI offers him immunity in return for betraying Victor, this is a no brainer. The guy is gonna flip. I need you to trust me on this. This is the route we need to take."

"That could take months, darling. They still have to prove Victor is tied to all of this. The man is a first-class bastard but he's not dumb."

"I know, but neither am I, and I know we're gonna get him. Are you with me?"

"It's going to be hard on the kids. Me being out, you and I pretending to hate each other."

"Yeah, but it'll only affect them initially, you know, until they get to see you. They'll feel better once they're with you and can finally see and hear for themselves that we're still on the same page. I mean, you are gonna fight me for custody, right?"

"Of course I am," he said bearing a huge grin. "I wouldn't be EJ DiMera if I didn't."

She giggled as she began to redo his tie, knowing their time was nearing an end. "Just don't go too hard on me, OK. Besides, only suing for joint custody will convince the public that you're not the monster I say you are. And it'll help get Brady off your back. Honestly, I feel like he'd be happy that you were around to come and take the kids off my hands from time to time so he could have me for himself."

"Oh, I intend to keep a very close eye on Brady Black, so don't you worry." He kissed the top of her forehead one last time and helped her smooth down the wrinkles in her skirt before reminding her gently it was time for her to go. "Tell our babes I love them and that daddy is going to see them very soon." He hesitated slightly before continuing with his next statement. "As for you, you realize this is the last time we can see each other like this. At least for now."

Of course she knew that, and she nodded so in response. "I love you."

He pulled her to him for one last earth-shattering kiss before reluctantly shuffling toward the door. He turned around just before popping out of sight, getting the final word in true EJ fashion. He repeated the line they'd repeatedly tried to outdo one another with which was stolen from their daughter's last-known, favorite Disney movie, Tangled. "I love you more."

She smiled all the way out of the building until she reached the outdoors and was forced to conceal the elation she felt inside. When she slid back into the car beside Sawyer she immediately began to fuss over her little boy, not daring to look at Brady for fear that he would look into her eyes and see a replay of what had taken place during the last two hours. The silence was beginning to get the best of her, however, and finally she spoke.

"You're quiet. Are you still irritated with me for-"

She was interrupted by him grabbing her hand. "I'm sorry," he offered in a sincere-sounding apology. "I wasn't mad at you. I had just got some bad news."

"Oh," she inquired innocently, though she was relatively sure of the revelation in store.

"I'm so sorry, babe. EJ is free."

She nodded understandingly as she conjured up some fresh tears to shed. It was all she could do to stop herself from replying with 'I know,' and all the smiles and tears of relief and joy that went with it.  



	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Kiriakis Mansion

Same Day

Rafe Hernandez smiled adoringly down at the little baby boy in his arms who was desperately trying to eat the badge off his Salem PD uniform. It was an unfortunate fact that the majority of the occasions he'd been required to don the formal attire were unpleasant ones, and this morning had been no exception; he had been attending the funeral of one of his fellow officers killed in the line of duty. For the past several weeks, he had worked alongside the fallen officer as they investigated the increased suspicious activity going on down at the docks and apparently, they were getting closer to an answer than they'd thought. When they'd paid a seemingly routine visit to one of the local business owners just to ask if she'd witnessed anything out of the ordinary, an unknown assailant shot at them from behind. Fitz was killed, Jackson had been injured, and he luckily walked away unharmed. Trouble was he didn't feel lucky. The way he saw it, the bullet had hit the wrong guy. Fitz was a proud father of two beautiful little girls who worshipped the ground he walked on with a third on the way. He had a family of four who desperately needed him. He himself didn't even have a pet goldfish to miss him if he was gone. Life was just so unfair.

"I think this little guy is hungry," Rafe said chuckling from his seat beside Nicole on a bench in the garden while trying to carefully pry his badge away without upsetting her baby boy. He couldn't believe how big Sawyer had gotten since the last time he saw him a couple of months ago. His features were really starting to become defined and now for the first time, he could see a strong resemblance to Nicole. Brady's genes also got some fair representation in the little guy's nose and brown hair, but the rest was all his mother. At one time he had pondered what their children might look like but any chance of that now had gone with the wind the day EJ DiMera barged back into his life.

"Don't let him fool you, that little boy has a full belly. Believe me, he would eat all day long if I let him."

"I don't doubt that his momma takes very good care of him. He's one lucky little dude."

Nicole tried unsucessfully to force a smile. "I don't know about that."

Rafe shook his head in disbelief. "Why do you say that? You're a wonderful mother who-"

"Do wonderful mothers lead on their sons' father into believing she's in love with him? You know, just long enough to destroy his grandfather?"

Rafe stuck his fingers in his ears and began to jibber-jabber nonsense words when she started rambling on about her intentions of taking down Victor. He'd purposely distanced himself from her since she returned to Salem for this very reason. He'd been her confidant when she'd been rescued from Kristen and knew where her loyalties lay. She was in love with EJ and, as much as he hated to admit it, EJ had done the decent thing by reuniting her with her children. The ISA had all the evidence they needed to confirm EJ's orginal story before they had forced him to alter some facts. After raiding the villa in Italy that Stefano, Kristen, EJ, and the children, when they were not in boarding school, called home, he learned from Shane Donovan that it was concluded that EJ played no role in faking his own death, had actually died and was subsequently ressurected as a matter of fact, and had no previous knowledge that the children existed. Kristen had confirmed much of that herself since she began singing like a canary in attempt to lay all the blame for her behavior on fear of the consequences for disobeying Stefano. Of course none of this had made it into the official reports, and those involved were quite pleased with themselves for finally sticking it to EJ DiMera. He himself viewed the whole ordeal as a sad day in the realm of justice. If you're intent on nailing the bastard, fine. God knows there were about a gazillion things they could try to fry EJ DiMera for, but this wasn't one of them. Some days he wondered if there were truly any good guys left in this world. Even his own actions were questionable at times but he always made a conscious effort to do the right thing. That's why when Nicole had called and informed him she needed his help, he didn't hesitate to come over.

It was clearly evident she was self-torturing herself over Brady, but eventhough Brady was a good friend of his who he'd never want to see hurt, he fully understood Nicole was only doing what she had to do. "Don't be so hard on yourself," Rafe whispered soothingly as he reached over and grabbed her hands for support. "When all is said and done, I know you'll make things right between the two of you."

She began to nod enthusiastically. "Of course. It's never been about keeping Brady from his son."

"I know, and I think he will come to accept the reality of that too."

"I hope. I used to think so but now I'm beginning to wonder."

"What do you mean by that," Rafe inquired, expressing sudden alarm.

"Nothing," Nicole said shaking her head dismissively. Eager to change the subject, she began to address the reason she'd requested the meeting. "So, I'm sure you're probably wondering what in the hell your cray cray friend is up to now, huh?"

"uh-uh, slow down there, pardner, not so fast. Back to Brady."

Nicole pouted. "What do you mean, back to Brady?"

"You were hinting at something before. What's going on? You basically said you weren't so sure he'd understand. Why?"

Nicole rolled her eyes. This is what you got when you have a detective for a bff. "He's just, I don't know, different lately."

"Different how," Rafe tried to ask with seriousness while he could't help from chuckling at Sawyer who had moved on from his badge and was now attempting to suck on his chin instead.

"I don't know. I don't know if it's because of EJ or he's suspicious of something, or just sexualy frustrated, or God only knows but, let me put it this way, it's a miracle that he's actually letting me talk to you in private. Privacy is not something I get much of these days."

"Could be all of those things, and with EJ out now, it'll only get worse. We gotta get you out of this mess, kiddo."

Nicole smiled at him gratefully. "I know you really don't want to get involved in anything and I want to be respectful of your position, but I think you'll be very interested in what I have to tell you."

Rafe began to survey their surroundings carefully. "Are you sure it's a good idea to discuss it here?"

Nicole giggled. "I think you forget sometimes I was once married to Victor. I'll have you know, this is his spot for discussing business at home. Not only is it completely bug-free, there are speakers in those bushes over there emitting a frequency that's indetectable to the human ear but creates interference on recording devices. Also makes it harder to hear someone who is only a couple of feet away, but I'm sure you're no stranger to that kind of stuff."

"I'll be damned," Rafe said shaking his head in disbelief. It was easy to forget sometimes that Nicole was somewhat of a savvy criminal herself.

"But anyway, just as a precaution, let's keep it down." Rafe nodded in agreement, understanding the desired level she'd just demonstrated using her own voice.

"Victor's been a very naughty boy, Rafe, and I think that he and his band of merry men may be the ones responsible for your friend's death."

"I'm listening."

She went on to explain, starting with the night she caught Xander sneaking around the mansion. Rafe listened quietly as he soaked in all the details, and everything had suddenly began to make sense. They had already identified this Xander Cook who had recently been seen at the docks, but no one had been able to make the connection to Victor or any criminal activity whatsoever. He was merely a suspicious figure they were keeping an eye on at this point, nothing more. Now, here was Nicole feeding him all the info the PD had been so desperately trying to piece together for the last few weeks. If what she was saying was indeed one hundred percent accurate, Victor Kiriakis would be going away for a very long time.

"You do realize, it is my obligation as a civil servant to report knowledge of a crime that is about to take place."

"Ooops. Did I say too much," Nicole inquired innocently as she covered her mouth with her hand in mock-horror.

"Terrorism. Geez. Who knew. You do realize though, your success is riding heavily on the assumption that Mr. Cook is going to flip. You know as well as I do the FBI is not going to find a thing linking this to Victor."

"I know, he's going to do it. Trust me."

"I just don't want you to be fooled by this resentment toward Victor. A lot of the family goons feel that way and never flip, even as they're wasting away the rest of their years in prison."

"I just have this gut feeling about him Rafe. Something tells me he's reached his limit with Victor and Victor will soon be sorry he ever mistreated Little Orphan Xannie."

Meanwhile

Salem Inn

In some ways, Nicole couldn't have been more wrong about Xander. As much as his uncle had angered him at times, he'd never even dreamed of going against him until just a couple of weeks ago. At that point, it had still been just a dream. Today was the day the dream turned into reality.

'GET RID OF THE BITCH,' his uncle had barked at him coldly. "AND I DON'T CARE WHO HAS TO GO DOWN WITH HER AS LONG AS IT'S NOT OUR FAMILY, JUST GET IT DONE!' Twenty four hours was all he had to fulfill his uncle's wishes. Wishes he had no intentions of granting, unbeknownst to Victor of course. He still had his work cut out for him since he had to do something about it. If he didn't kill her, not only would his uncle ream him a new one, he'd simply find someone else to do the job. He still wasn't sure what his long term plan was going to be, but for now he began to collect everything that would be necessary to get him through the next twenty-four hours and pack them into his duffle bag: chloroform, a couple of rags, handcuffs, duct tape, zip-ties; basically, everything one would expect to find in your average kidnapping kit.

Tomorrow morning he would perform the deed when she was likely to step out of the office to grab coffee at Club TBD. He would wait for her in the alleyway alongside the club and, as long as it was clear, he could quickly grab and subdue her then. If there happened to be a few passerbys which could very well be the case that time of day, then he was sure he could lure her to his car for a quick, private chat but he preferred the former since it would reduce his chances of being seen with her. The location where he'd keep her temporarily had also been secured in the form of a quaint little, privately-owned lakeside cabin that was for rent. It wasn't as secluded as he liked which meant he was probably going to have to keep her bound and gagged most of the time, or at least until he could convince her he wasn't trying to do her any harm, but again it was only until he came up with a long-term solution. A satisfied smile crept across his face as he pondered the possibilities. In his mind, somewhere in that solution laid a future for him and his soon-to-be damsel in distress. 


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Next Day

"Hi, Honey. I'm home," EJ exclaimed with a devilish smile as he pushed his way past Sami and into the living room of the apartment she was currently sharing with Lucas, with Chad following close behind.

"What the hell are you two doing here," she snarled, nostrils starting to flare as she huffed and puffed in usual Sami fashion.

"Now is that any way to greet your devoted husband," Chad inquired as he took a seat at the breakfast bar and helped himself to an apple from the fruit basket. "You were such a good, devoted wifey when he was Australia yet, once he showed up here in the states you didn't go see him once. Why is that?"

"You know what I think it is," EJ began to explain as he grabbed a picture of Johnny and Sydney off one of the end tables to admire. "I think it's because that now that she knows I'm penniless, she thinks I'm going to take her for everything she's got."

"Oh, right, penniless my ass! Your suit didn't come from Walmart, honey."

"Well, that's only because my brother here was so gracious to loan me the money, isn't that right brother dear?"

"Yes, that's right," Chad acknowledged with a bemused smile. "And thank you for addressing me properly. It's the least you can do since I agreed to take care of your sorry ass."

"Yes, brother dear."

Sami shook her head in disgust. "Why don't you just get to the point of why it is you're here."

"Well, since you've pretty much already confirmed my suspicion that you don't wish to be married to me anymore, let's move on to the next order of business, shall we? Oh, brother dear?"

Chad took his cue and opened up the briefcase he'd carried in with him, retrieving a manila envelope with her name written on it which he handed over to EJ.

"Of course I expect you'll want your lawyer to look them over before you sign," EJ stated matter-of-factly as he passed the envelope to Sami. "But if you're as eager to get this over with as quickly as possible as I am, I can assure you I am not after any of your assets. The only thing I care about is seeing my children, and I'm only asking for a fair, joint custody agreement."

"I'm surprised you think you'll even be able to find the time for Johnny and Sydney with your other two children around."

"If I ever get to see them," EJ stated bitterly while secretly enjoying his first real opportunity to act out this prefabricated war with Nicole over the children. "I suspect Nicole is going to fight me tooth and nail over Belle and Alexander. I was hoping that you would be the bigger person here."

He studied her carefully and watched as her expression softened. Nothing thrilled Samantha more than someone stroking her ego, and especially when being compared to Nicole. It had taken him years to really figure out what made Samantha tick but now that he had, manipulating her was a piece of cake. So easy, in fact, that it was hardly even fun anymore.

"Look, I'll take these and run them by my lawyer later today, after I pick up Johnny and Sydney from school. While I'm at the lawyer's office, why don't I drop them off with you and you can keep them through dinnertime. I can swing by around eight to pick them up. Just make sure they do their homework if they have any. They only have a couple of days left before summer vacation so they might not."

"Samantha Gene Brady, you're way too special for someone like me." Yeah, as in 'special' when being used as a euphemism for crazy. "I realize that being my wife was not an easy job and I do appreciate all that you tried to do for me while I was in prison. I know that this really wasn't about money for you, that was just my jealously talking. Clearly, it's about Lucas. You two found your way back to one another in my absence and you just didn't know how to tell me. He's always been the one, hasn't he?"

Sami simply nodded since she found herself speechless. He assumed she was probably congratulating herself on being such an exemplary human being. It amazed him to think how years ago his day had risen and fallen on the intent of making her his bride and now he just couldn't wait to be rid of the bitch so he would be free and clear to marry Nicole ASAP.

In effort to speed up the process, he and Chad had been doing some strategizing of their own. After leaving Samantha's, they intended to stop by Club TBD to sit down and do some brainstorming over coffee.

"Whoa, somebody's going to be missing this," Chad exclaimed as he bent down to pick something up off the ground, then dangled his discovery before his brother's eyes."

"Let me see that," EJ said, snatching it away eagerly from Chad's grasp. He studied the diamond and sapphire bracelet carefully before exclaiming, "this is Nicole's."

"What, are you kidding," Chad said as he chuckled in disbelief. "How do you know that's Nicole's, like she's the only woman in the world who owns a bracelet like that."

"No, it's hers. This is not your average tennis bracelet, this is Cartier, and it's a custom job. Look at the "N" inscribed on the plate in the center. Brady gave her this bracelet years ago. We used to joke about how much she hated it but obviously she's been wearing it to humor him. I wonder if she's here?"

"Well, only one way to find out."

EJ tucked the bracelet safely inside the inner pocket of his jacket. He smiled knowing he had a legitimate excuse to approach her and hoped with any luck they might find her enjoying an afternoon coffee break inside. They never made it into the building to find out. One minute they were on their way into Club TBD, then the next thy woke up to find themselves both strapped down to chairs with a menacing-looking Brady Black standing before them.

"Yeah, that's right, come on and wake up, you son-of-a-bitch," was what EJ was greeted with. Brady face was no more than half an inch away from his own, and his eyes were wild with rage. "What have you done with her, you piece of shit!"

"What, what are you talking about," EJ said as he tried to buy himself some more personal space by craning his neck back as far as the chair he was bound to would allow.

"DON'T PLAY ME FOR SOME FOOL," Brady screamed like an enraged beast as his fist slammed right into the side of EJ's face. "NICOLE! WHERE IS SHE?"

Brady Black hadn't been enough to scare him, but the revelation he delivered made the blood drain from his extremeties, causing them to grow ice cold. Something had happened to Nicole which sent Brady into a panic. There was a small chance that perhaps Brady was just being paranoid, After all, he had his own men on Nicole now to watch out for her safety and at last check before leaving for Samantha's, she had apparently not left the Titan TV building since arriving for work that day. The window of unexplained absence seemed like it should be very small, but then again, he couldn't be sure how long he had been unconscious. If Brady was indeed keeping tabs on her just as she'd explained however, he should know every single move she made so he supposed any inability to locate her under those circumstances would be alarming. He also had to consider that Nicole could have deliberately eluded Brady's watchful eye to get something accomplished in which case he didn't want to do or say anything which might foil her plans. However, if there was any kind of foul play surrounding Nicole's sudden disappearance, there could be only two suspects, and he surely wasn't one of them. Problem was, would he ever be able to get it through Brady Black's thick skull that the persons he should be interrogating were either his own grandfather or Xander, or both.


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Same Day

Nicole became suddenly aware of an unpleasantly strong odor permeating the air that she breathed. She thought about opening her eyes to determine the source of the ammonia-like smell, but it seemed like far too much effort to perform the task. The horrible stench was becoming even more intense however and starting to burn the insides of her nasal passages. She intended to throw her hand up to filter the air going through only to discover that she couldn't move it. She heard herself grunt out in frustration and considered investigating until her efforts were overcome by another wave of severe fatigue that prevented her from doing anything.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Wake up," said Xander, as he tried to gently coax her from the chloroform-induced slumber that was a an unfortunate but necessary measure he'd needed to take to get her to the cabin and immobilized without her putting up too much of a fight. He'd considered using the fairytale method of awakening her from such a deep slumber, but the salts he held beneath her nose would have to do for now since realistically he wouldn't dream of taking advantage of her in such a way. Lord knows they'd flirted with each other enough in their time spent together that if she'd hoped for something more to happen between them, it would have come to fruition sometime during the unsupervised two weeks they had spent living under the same roof. For now, she was still hopelessly devoted to Brady and he would have to respect that until she came to terms with the fact that she would never be able to return to her former life and makes the decision to move on.

She knew that voice, but who did it belong to? She could see faces of potential suspects, people she thought she knew, but couldn't put a name to a single one. Was she actually looking at them or just imagining it? No, her eyes were still shut, she was sure of it. Why couldn't she open them? That damn smell. Again she reached for her nose with no success. She felt a firm resistance around her wrist when she tried once more. Same with the other one.

"That's it. Open your eyes, love. Come on."

She found her eyes were suddenly fluttering open as if the command had been what they were waiting for all along. There was a man with a familiar face hovering over her but his identity remained a mystery still. She opened her mouth, intending to simply come right out and ask who he was but it was as dry as if she'd been out in a desert for several hours without a drop to drink. The man apparently took immediate notice of this since he brought a water bottle to her lips and offered her a sip.

"Here, that's it. Have a sip."

It felt so refreshing that she had to have more and her server was not delivering quickly enough. She went to grab the bottle but was met with the same resistance as when she'd try to cover her nose. At least the smell was mostly gone now. Again she tried to reach for the bottle, but the resistance holding her back was now digging into her wrists. She looked down to where she thought her hands should be but didn't see them. The tension in her shoulders told her to look behind her back. Then she saw the rope that crossed her upper body.

"Nicole? It's going to be alright. Don't start freaking out."

But freaking out was exactly what she did. She couldn't move because she was tied down to the chair she was sitting in. She could now feel all the bonds anchoring her tightly on her wrists, across her upper body and waist, and the ankles. As the reality of her predicament began to register, so did the identity of her keeper. Xander. If she'd had a few moments to consider her course of action she might have reacted differently but her self-defense instincts managed to kick in first and she began to scream with everything she had, prompting him to jump up and place a firm hand over her mouth, coming at her from behind to gain the optimal effectiveness from the silencing technique.

"Nicole, please, don't do this," his voice had called out from behind rather calmly; not at all threatening as she'd initially suspected. Still, in her panicked state she refused to listen and tried harder, causing him to tighten his grip around her mouth.

"I'm sorry for this but you really give me no other choice."

She could feel him fidgeting with something with his free arm while the other remained snugly clamped over her mouth. For a moment she thought he was going to come up with a gun. Instead, she heard the familiar sound of a piece of tape being ripped from it's roll.

Xander had taken the loose end of the duct tape in his teeth and unraveled a six inch strip before tearing it off with his teeth. Nicole watched nervously as he drew the sticky adhesive strip toward her mouth. No. She couldn't afford to be disabled like this. She waited for him to relax the grip on her mouth so that he could apply the tape, then began her pleaing.

"No, Xander, please. Don't." She made sure her words came as nothing more than a whisper. To her relief, it worked. He slowly removed his hand completely from her mouth and carefully squatted down beside her, dangling the silver strip intended to seal her lips mere inches from her face.

"Promise me you're not going to scream like that again and I will leave this off."

"I promise," she panted in reply, struggling to regain her breath. "Why are you doing this to me?" She didn't really know why she'd bothered to ask. Surely he had figured out what she was about to do to him and Victor and he was about to put a stop to it once and for all. It was the only thing that made sense. In mere moments from now, she would be thanking herself for playing dumb, even if it wasn't done intentionally.  
"Because I don't want to hurt you. I realize that probably doesn't make sense to you right now, but it's true. I'm trying to save your life, Nicole. Victor wants you dead and gone and I'm the man he asked to take care of you."

Her mouth felt like one gigantic ball of cotton. She tried to inquire why but the only sound that came out sounded more amphibian than human. Xander quickly took notice and returned the bottle of water to her lips, and she drank from it graciously as he continued to elaborate.

"He doesn't want you with Brady. He thinks that you're a bad influence, and all you care about is his money, and power, and that one day you'd leave him after you took him for everything he had and try to take Sawyer with you. He also has this crazy theory that you're really still in love with EJ DiMera. Is that true?"

Nicole felt as if she'd just been struck by a bolt of lightning. Was she being tested? Did Victor know, or was he just guessing? Did Xander know? If they did, would admitting the truth get her anywhere? Absolutely not. Say something, Nikki. NOW.

"No! No, of course not! Victor would say anything to try and sway someone into seeing things his way."

"Yeah, well try telling uncle Victor that he's out of his mind and see how well that goes. I don't want to see anything happen to you, Nicole. What else was I supposed to do. I had no other choice."

"So what pray tell is your plan? To keep me holed up in this cabin forever? Xander, I can't. My babies. They need me. I need to get home to them!"

She was crying now. He couldn't remember a time when he'd been this affected by someone's tears, anyone's. Even his own mother's. Then again, since the day he first met Nicole he couldn't put a finger on whatever the hold was that she had over him that made him do silly things, unheard of things. Things only a madman would do, like disobeying his uncle. It wasn't love. He'd probably never loved a single woman in his life aside from his mother, and even that relationship was iffy. Of course there was the fact that she was breathtakingly gorgeous, but there certainly had been no shortage of beautiful women in his life that he'd use to pass the time with, until he got bored with one and was ready to move onto the next. But she was the first one to make him consider that if he was lucky enough to land her, then he might not want to move on. He just might consider finding out what settling down was like after all.

"I'm sorry, Nicole. I don't know what else to do, at least not right now. I didn't have the luxury of having the time to plan everything out to a T. As it stands right now, I'm going to arrange it so it looks like you were attacked in the park. I'll leave some traces of your personal effects behind and Victor will furnish some remains to be discovered in the river a couple of weeks from now."

She managed to subdue her tears long enough to inquire about the bizarre statement. "Why would Victor 'furnish remains' for me if I'm already supposedly dead just as he'd wished?"

"Because, his mindset is that he wants to always be one hundred percent in control of the show. Sure, I could kill you and dump your body in the river for them to find as intended, but if they find you too soon there's a chance of discovering evidence linking me to your murder. On the other hand, Victor wants your remains to be relatively decomposed, but found soon enough where Brady can go through the grieving process as quickly as possible. If he wanted to make you disappear where no one would ever know what really happened to you, I could make that happen too. Just like I'm going to make it happen now, without killing you however."

Nicole was silent as she pondered the new reality set forth by Xander. Victor wanted her dead. She couldn't help but think what her reality might be right now if she hadn't caught Xander sneaking into the mansion that night. She'd probably be dead by but he had spared her that fate. Why? Did she really need to ask, or was it just modesty preventing her from admitting the truth? It was obvious he had developed some kind of feelings for her, and she had unapologetically used that to her advantage to get exactly what she wanted out of him. If she could use her womanly wiles with success then, there was no reason why she couldn't get the same results now. Letting Victor, Brady, or anyone else dictate how she was going to live her life was completely unacceptable. She fully intended to talk herself out of this one just as successfully as she'd talked her way out of every other tight spot she'd been in for the past few months. She took several deep breaths to collect her courage, then began to work her magic on Xander once more.

"What if I told you there was another way."

Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location by the docks, Brady's fists continued to pound into the bodies of both EJ and Chad when he didn't receive the satisfactory answers he was looking for. EJ was taking the brunt of the assaults, however whenever Chad would pipe up in his brother's defense he was good to get another punch or two in the gut.

"I'm telling you, I haven't done a thing to Nicole. If you're really that concerned for her I highly suggest you start looking elsewhere."

Another blow to the face, this one splitting his lip. He couldn't resist spitting the blood now collecting in his mouth in Brady's direction.

"What, and it's just coincidence that something happens to her the day after you're released from prison and you're not responsible, yet you just happen to have her bracelet in your pocket? Is that what I'm supposed to believe?"

It was obvious the man was out of his mind with worry and, frankly, so was he. He'd been playing dumb with Brady long enough to rule out the theory that Nicole disappeared off the radar purposely. It was now beginning to look more and more like something terrible had happened to her. The bracelet was indeed a startling piece of evidence. It must have been ripped off in some kind of struggle. He was going to have to try to get through to Brady the only way left he knew how. By telling him the truth, about everything.

"Alright, Brady, listen to me. If I-"

Brady's concentration was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. It had only gone off once before and Brady had given it the same attention then as he did just now. He jumped with nervous anticipation and he immediately withdrew the phone from his pocket and his eyes darted right to the screen to identify the caller.

"Oh my god. It's her." His finger desperately tapped the accept button. "Baby? Baby is that you?"

EJ couldn't do so much as take a breath as he strained to hear a response, hopefully in her voice. He let out a deep sigh of relief when he heard Nicole's bubbly voice gushing through the receiver.

"Honey, I am sooooo sorry," he heard her explaining to Brady. "Some weird, deep-throat guy wanted to meet up with me to give me some inside info on this story I'm working on, and I had shut off my phone. I just got so engrossed talking with this guy I didn't even realize what time it was. Are you ok? Are you mad?"

"No, honey, I'm really not ok," Brady said as he proceeded to take his phone conversation outside, keeping the rest of the exchange a mystery from EJ. Oh well, it didn't really matter. The important thing was he knew now that she was fine, at least for now. What might happen with Brady once they were reunited was left to be seen. He had witnessed first-hand what the source of Brady's irrational behavior that Nicole had described really was. Cocaine. He had taken several hits throughout the two to three hour interrogation process alone. He could only pray that even coked-up Brady Black simply didn't have it in him to physically take his anger out on Nicole the way he'd done him and his brother just now. One thing was for sure, as soon as he was freed from this mess, he would personally see to her protection. He simply didn't trust anyone else enough to do the job anymore.

Nicole ended her call with Brady and smiled graciously over at a very bewildered-looking Xander sitting opposite her in the driver's seat of his car.

"Thank you, for believing in me."

"All I can say is, this better work," he quipped back at her as she was in the process of exiting his car.

She popped her head back in the door before shutting it completely; a deliciously wicked grin plastered across her face. "As long as you keep your promise and do exactly as I say, it will."

"Oh, I intend to, Nicole Walker," he called out after her, watching every step of her exit until she disappeared back into the Titan TV building. "And as long as you keep your end of the deal, one day, you will be mine."

Unfortunately for Xander, as he would soon find out the hard way, Nicole Walker only intended to belong to one man, and that one man was none other than Elvis John DiMera.


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Same Day

Nicole scurried back into the Titan TV building, up the elevator and through the halls, until she reached her office. Although she was slightly out of breath from sprinting to her destination as if she was in a triathalon, it wasn't the reason why her hands were shaking violently as she packed all of her notes and files back into her bag. She was scared to death. She knew she had to get out of Salem and fast, and could only hope her escape was fast enough. Thankfully, Brady was on his way to meet her there and she didn't plan on leaving his side until she knew Victor was behind bars.

She didn't know what on earth she was going to do about Belle and Alexander. Ideally, the best and safest place for them to be right now was with their father, but there was no way in hell she'd be able to simply drop them off with the man she supposedly hated before she and Brady left town. It was god awful timing. She had told Belle and Alex just last night once the three of them had snuggled into bed that EJ was free and they would see their daddy very soon. It was probably horribly irresponsible of her to make promises that she didn't really have much control over, but her poor babies needed to hear that progress was being made. If she took them with her, she would prolong the long overdue reunion with their father by at least a week, maybe more. Of course they would be equally safe with her and Brady as well but, in addition to simply preferring they stay with EJ, she desperately wanted to spare them from witnessing what was about to happen. It was a drastic step, but one that was necessary to be taken.

She must've jumped about two feet when she turned around and saw someone standing in the doorway but was relieved to see it was only Miles.

"Sorry, kid. Didn't mean to scare you, geez. Are you alright? You look pretty shaken up."

She nodded due to lack of ample oxygen to answer verbally.

"Here, come on. Have a seat." He slid his arm around her shoulders and began to coax her into one of the visitor chairs opposite her desk, but found that her feet remained firmly planted in her current spot.

"Miles, I can't I have to go. Brady-"

"Yeah, kid, I know. Brady is downstairs waiting for you but first, you and I have to have a little chat."

Nicole was fidgety as she glanced at her phone for the time. "Really, Miles, can we do this some other time, I-"

"There's not going to be 'some other time,' Nicole."

That got her attention. "What?"

"I'm sorry, kid. I gotta let you go."

Nicole felt like actual flames were burning away on the surface of her face. She was being fired?

"You've got to be kidding me, right? Miles! Who's your best reporter?"

Miles sighed deeply. "You are. Come on, kid, it's not about that, and you know it. You're my ace, but I'm afraid I have to agree with the boss on this one. We're worried about you."

"Oh, the boss, huh?" The 'boss' that Miles was referring to was Brady. If she didn't need Brady's help so desperately right now, she would love nothing more than to tell the 'boss' exactly where he could shove it. For now, she was gonna have to bite her tongue on this one.

"Look, you'll still get to finish your story. You only have two segments left, but I'm afraid everything else is off the table, for now. Perhaps once things settle down-"

"Miles. Stop. It's ok. He's right, I need to just step back and take a breather, especially now. With EJ out of prison, I really need to focus on my family." Hey, at least the cleverly-worded, latter statement was true!

"Take care of yourself, ok? I want you in tip-top shape when you come back."

She nodded weakly and offered a polite smile. "I will."

Brady was waiting for her head-down in the lobby. Silently, she was scolding him for being an ass, a coward, and a dozen other similarly unsavory things, but she made sure the look on her face didn't give her away. She carefuly crafted the appearance of the ever-so-slight smile, using the Mona Lisa as a model for the precise look she wished to achieve; friendly and approachable without being overly enthusiastic.

When he caught a glimpse of her, he frowned and mouthed 'I'm sorry.' She knew there probably was some degree of authenticity to his apology which made it a tad bit easier for her to pretend that she wasn't really livid. With one deep breath, she expelled any lingering bitterness which might cling to her words and slipped into character. Dropping her bag a few paces before she even reached him, she ran the rest of the way to him and threw her arms around him, burying her face into his chest as she began to weep softly. He must've thought she might physically attack him since he seemed to be startled by her actions, and there was a slight delay to him returning the embrace.

"Please don't be mad at me,' he whispered into her ear, his voice heavy with emotion. "You just scared the hell-"

She interrupted him with a kiss. The challenge that she faced now was finding the balance between making it last long enough to be convincing and quick enough that she could get on with the rest of the show. She decided brief would be acceptable under the circumstances since she still had some explaining to do.

"I know. I know, and I'm so sorry. And you know what? You're absolutely right. I didn't even tell you the half of it before because I didn't want you to freak out, but the truth about what really happened is, I couldn't answer my phone because they took it from me. I-"

"What? Who's they?"

"I don't know. I don't even know. All I know is, it was scary. I'm not as tough as I used to be, I guess, but Brady, I was never so glad to get outta there, and I told myself then, that's it. I can't do this anymore. I have to think about my kids, and my safety, and-and you. I gotta admit, it did irk me a little when Miles told me I was being canned, but how could I really be mad if I was gonna tell him I quit anyway?"

Brady cupped her face using both of his hands and his eyes glistened with emotion that his manliness would never allow to become actual tears. "Really? You were going to quit?"

"Yes," she replied, nodding emphatically for some added validity. "I need to focus on my family, and I know that my family needs a lot of attention right now. Especially the part concerning you."

Brady's smile was so brilliant he could blind someone with it. God she was going to go to hell for this.

"I know you've been trying, Nic. I-"

"I want to marry you, Brady Black. Let's do it. Let's get married!"

Brady shook his head in disbelief. "Wait, what did you say? Did you just tell me-"

"Yes! Yes yes yes," she exclaimed giddily as she bounced up and down in place with the same bubbliness one might expect from a cheerleading hopeful on try-out day. "Let's get married!"

"Baby, you know I would love nothing more, but let's back it up a minute, ok? Where is this coming from?"

"From my heart. Where else would it come from?" She was praying that her eyes acheived the hopeful, doe-eyed look she was aiming for. "I love you, Brady. My feelings for you have never been the issue, so why should I make you suffer for it any longer? Look, it's still going to be a challenge for us, how to break it to Belle and Alex, but I've been thinking about this a lot, to the point that I've been over-thinking it, actually, and the conclusion I came up with is that we should just get married first and explain it to them later."

Brady was shaking his head objectively. "I don't know, Nic. I think if you did that you might regret it later."

"Yeah, and then I think of another way, and then another, and none of them seem to suit me. The reality is there is no easy way to tell them, and I think that if we were to just go and do it and then maybe tell them a little further down the road that this is the way things are now, I think that will be easier on them than having this impending wedding hanging over their heads. I really do."

Nicole could practically see a little lightbulb icon hovering over Brady's head. "Well, when you put it that way, it does make a lot of sense."

"Yeah. And then when we're comfortable that they've accepted the idea, we'll invite them to celebrate it with us." In all honestly, she thought it sounded like a wretched idea, but it was the best damn thing she could come up with on such short notice.

Brady was grinning again. "Ok, so say I agree to this idea of yours. When do you want to do this? I could probably-"

"Tonight."

Brady did a double-take. "You want to get married tonight?"

"Yes!" She started bouncing again as she clapped her hands before her.

"Where on earth-"

"Vegas!"

This was crazy. She was out of her mind. The woman he loved so dear was completely losing her marbles. Except that he knew she really wasn't and for the first time since he'd found her, she looked happy. Not just happy, blissfully happy, and so was he. How could he say no?

"Alright, here's my offer, Walker, take it or leave it. I'm not going to marry you tonight." When she gasped with disappointment, he was quick to explain. "We're going to do this thing the right way. We fly to Vegas tonight and tonight, I propose. Tomorrow, we get married."

She jumped into his arms so forcefully she caused him to lose his balance, and they both went tumbling to the floor. Miraculously, he was able to retain his grip on her so that when his butt finally came in contact with the ground, she was seated on his lap. "I can't wait to become Mrs. Brady Black," she purred softly as she gazed into his eyes like one might expect from their loving partner. Internally, she felt like she was going to throw up.

"I'm going to make you very happy, Nicole Walker."

"I know. Now why don't we go make someone else's day with our good news. Let's go tell your grandfather."


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Same Day

"Hey, sis," Brandon said with a look of surprise upon finding Nicole on his doorstep along with Belle and Alexander. "And my favorite niece and nephew of course," he added promptly as soon as he identified all members of the visiting party.

"Can we come in?"

"Yeah, Yeah, of course, come on in." Brandon was instantly concerned upon seeing her face. She looked pale, nervous, and kinda dazed, like someone who just walked away from some horrific accident.

"Hey, chickie, why didn't you text me you were coming over," Chloe whined playfully as she slid off the couch to join Nicole and company.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I don't mean to just barge in on you guys but I need to ask you a huge favor."

"Of course," Chloe said dismissively as she bent down to hug Belle who was reaching for her. "What's up?"

"I need you to watch the munchkins for a few days. Maybe a week. I know it's short notice, but-"

"Hey, of course we will, don't worry about it. Is everything ok?"

"Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine. Brady just has to go away for a few days and since they only have a few days of school left I was hoping I could leave them with you guys so they wouldn't have to miss them."

Brandon and Chloe both knew from her facial expressions and the nuances in Nicole's voice that she was feeding them the kid-friendly version of the real story. They knew better than to ask questions in their presence even though the number of inquiries was beginning to grow at an alarming rate. Chloe volunteered herself to entertain the children so Brandon was free to pull Nicole aside to get the scoop.

"What's going on, Nikki? Are you alright?"

Without warning, she lunged at her brother and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Brandon."

"I love you too, sis, geez, what is going on? You're scaring me."

"Look, don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

Typical Nicole, playing the tough-girl act when he could clearly see she was frightened. Of what or whom was what remained a mystery.

"Brady and I are flying to Vegas tonight. I told him I want to get married, and I don't want the kids to know about it. Hopefully it'll be over just as quick as it happened if everything goes as planned."

"Wait, are you seriously saying you're actually planning to go through with it?"

"I have to. I have to get out of town without Brady getting suspicious of why. He's too happy right now to question anything which is exactly how I need him to be. Brandon, I am this close right now to bringing Victor down and I really can't afford for anything to go wrong. If so much as one little thing doesn't go as planned, let's just say things could go very badly for me."

"Does EJ know this?"

"No. I have no way of communicating with him. I mean, I saw him yesterday but-"

"What? You did? You saw EJ yesterday?"

"Yeah," she was smiling now since the mention of his name. "He surprised me and showed up at my doctor's appointment with Chad. We got to spend a couple of hours together. It was wonderful. Of course I didn't know then what I know now or I would have told him. But that's where you come in, brother."

"Here we go," Brandon said, rolling his eyes in mock-annoyance.

"I want you to call EJ and set up a 'chance meeting' somewhere public when you have the kids with you. I know Brady has people watching him so be careful how you play it. I just really need for Belle and Alex to see him, plus, I need you to relay a very important message for me. I'm gonna give you two different messages though. One that you can share with him right now, and the other you can give to him if I should happen to not make it home, but only if I don't, got it?"

Brandon stared at her like he was looking straight at a ghost. "Jesus Christ, Nikki."

"Tell him I said the end is near. Within the week, y'all should be seeing some very shocking, breaking news involving the Kiriakis clan. Victor is finally going to pay and when his ass is safely behind bars where he belongs, it'll be safe for me to come home. You tell EJ when I come home from Vegas, I'll be coming home to him."

There was a wistful look on her face although the fear and worry he had detected the second he saw her was also still making it's presence known. He imagined that his own face looked fairly similar as well. She reached into her purse and withdrew a standard white, business-size envelope from her purse, and proceeded to hand it to him, her hand shaking violently as the exchange took place.

"If I don't make it home, then you give this to him but, promise me, only if, ok?"

Brandon nodded agreeably as he inspected the envelope in his hand. He was far too overcome with emotion to speak at present. He already had reason enough to be upset, but for some particular reason, the handwritten message on the front of the envelope in his hand had gotten the best of him. written in blue ink in his sister's fancy handwriting were the words, 'To EJ (My one and only love).' It was obviously a very lengthly love-letter of sorts since the contents of the sealed envelope just barely fit. There was also some small, hard, unidentified object sealed inside, likely wrapped up inside the layers of paper since he found it difficult to pinpoint any distinguishable features which might help identify what it could be.

Nicole could see the anguish in her bro's face and sought to put him at ease. She hugged him again, tightly. "I don't want you to worry, ok? Promise me? This is just me planning for worst-case scenario, that's all. EVerything's gonna be fine."

"You know, I would try to talk you out of whatever you're doing if I knew it wouldn't be a wasted effort."

She let out a single chuckle in response to his rather accurate summation. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, the damage is already done. There's no stopping what's already in play. There is one thing you can do though that might help."

"You name it. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Pray. Just pray."

She quickly trotted back into the living room where Chloe was entertaining her children. She was already emotional enough from saying her potential forever goodbye to Brandon and needed to save what little remaining strength she had to do the same with Belle and Alex. She knew if Xander didn't come through for her she was a dead woman. Either that or he would kidnap her again and this time it would be forever. Either way she would never see them again which meant that she needed to leave them with enough love to last for a lifetime.

"Hey munchkins," she said as she dropped to her knees in front of them and extended her arms for hugs from both. "Come give mommy hugs."

"Do you have to go, mommy," Belle's little voice quavered as she hugged her mother tight.

"I'm afraid I do, princess. Believe me, I wouldn't never leave you if I didn't have to. Never."

"When are you coming back," Alex asked demandingly with a pout.

"As soon as possible, sweetie."

"How come Sawyer gets to go but we have to stay here?" It was Alex again. Now he was giving her the stare-dwon with his arms folded across her chest. Like always however, Belle was quick to jump into her mother's defense.

"Because, dummy, Sawyer needs mommy's boobies, remember?"

"Annabelle DiMera," Nicole began to scold her daughter half-heartedly. "That's not nice."

"Sorry, mommy," Belle replied giggling, obviously unaffected by her Mother's attempt at being stern with her. "I meant to say breasts."

Nicole was giggling now. "Oh yeah, wel I meant don't call your brother a dummy, ok? He's your brother, and he loves you, and your his big sister so you always gotta be there and look out for him, ok?" That was it. She was done for. The tears had started to flow freely midway through her last sentence and there would be no stopping them now.

"I'm sorry mommy." Belle was whimpering now as she began to cry herself, prompting Nicole to grab both her babies again and hug them with all her might.

"It's OK sweetie, mommy's really not mad, I promise. I know you love your brother and were only teasing him. Mommy is just super-emotional right now because I am going to miss the two of you so much when I'm gone. So, can you please do me a fovor, the both of you, until I get back?"

They both nodded solemnly in response and gave her their undivided attention.

"I need someone to give you both your daily hugs and kisses from me, so do you think that you can do that for each other?"

They both nodded enthusiastically in perfect unison, obviously pleased with their assignment.

"You guys are the best! Alright, So I'm going to leave you each with a huge supply of hugs and kisses so you have plenty to give throughout the day for all the days I'm gone. Are you ready for them?"

"Yes! Yes," they squealed with delight as they bounced up and down in place.

Nicole grabbed her little boy first. "OK, Belle, I want you to keep count, ok? I need to make sure you both get exactly the same amount. Are you ready?"

Belle was grinning brilliantly as she nodded in agreement."

"I'm ready," Alex insisted as he squirmed excitedly in her arms.

"Oh, you are, are you," Nicole teased. "Alright buddy, you asked for it, here they come!"

Chloe had to leave the room to avoid bawling in front of the children. She still had no idea what was going on but seeing her friend crying the way she was as she said goodbye to her children was a clear indicator something was terribly wrong. She was soon comforted by Brandon's arms around her, and his hands coming to rest atop her now prominent baby bump.

"Brandon, what's going on? Is she going to be ok?"

His response to his wife was intended only to comfort her in her delicate state, but somehow, and gratefully, he found them to be comforting to himself as well.

"Babe, it's Nicole we're talking about. Of course she's going to be ok."

Belle couldn't believe she was still counting. "Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred."

It was at this mark that Nicole stopped. Of course in her mind one hundred kisses was hardly enough to last a lifetime, but she knew the number would be quite impressive to her little one who had just barely learned to count that high.

"Is it finally my turn now, mommy?"

"Yes, my princess, come here. One hundred kisses coming up!"

She hugged her little girl tight as she dispensed to her her own fair share of her motherly love, but it was only a small portion, if you could even call it that. It was hard to indentify something as a 'portion' when it was coming from a never-ending supply.

"Alright mommy, your turn," Belle informed her after receiving kiss number one hundred.

"My turn?"

"Mmmm hmm, come on Alex, you get one cheek and I get the other." Her little girl then led the way, calling out the kiss number as it was applied by both children simultaneously on their designated cheek.

It was exactly what Nicole had needed. Every kiss from her little ones brought with it another dose of much needed courage and determination and for the first time since her encounter with Xander had come to an end, she was feeling strong again. She had sworn she would never allow someone to be in control of her destiny other than herself and she hadn't disappointed thus far. Not returning home was no longer an option and when she said her final goodbye to the children, she returned to the car holding her head high knowing that it was goodbye only for a little while. While she would eventually return victorious just as she'd predicted, she had absolutely no idea just how close she would come to an unthinkable alternative.


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Same Day

Nicole could hear Brady and Victor still arguing when she stepped inside the front door of the mansion. She had been gone just a little over an hour and apparently the debated topic had not changed in her absence. Victor was still trying to talk Brady out of marrying her. She froze in place and strained to listen in on their conversation.

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST LOOK AT THE VIDEO DAMN IT? THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING YOU TO DO. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SEE IS RIGHT THERE!"

Video? What video?

"Because, grandfather, I know how you operate. That could be video from like five years ago that you let your tech people work their genius on just to convince me to break up with Nicole. You don't want us together, I get it, it's all I've been hearing for the past two and a half months and I'm sick of it! Nothing you can say or do is going to change my mind."

Brady's voice was getting nearer as his statement drew to a close. Soon his body appeared in the hall as he backed his way out of the living room, holding a manila envelope in his hand.

"As a matter of fact, here's what I think of your video!"

Nicole watched in horror as Brady balled up the envelope and chucked it back into the living room, presumably right at Victor. She seriously considered the idea of attempting to retrieve it later, but Brady had other plans.

"Come on, babe, let's get outta here. Slavenka has Sawyer all ready to go and the jet is ready for us. Let's go get hitched."

Nicole felt like Brady's arm around her waist was the only thing holding her upright as he escorted her to the car. She honestly felt like if he were to remove the arm which supported her that her legs would immediately buckle right at the knees and she'd be reduced to a pile of jelly.

She thought she might feel better once she was on the plane, but the minute the jet was off the ground she started experiencing what she presumed to be panic attacks. She wasn't sure which was worse; the extreme nausea and vomiting, or the feeling like she was going to pass out any minute. Her thoughts kept drifting back to this video Victor mentioned. Dear God, if he knew anything of her plans, even the slightest little detail, it could ruin everything. There would be no rest for the wicked until she knew either one of two things, but preferably both: what was on that video, and/or Victor was arrested and formally charged. She glanced over at Brady sitting directly beside her in the window seat, holding Sawyer proudly in his arms as he attempted to point out to him some of the sights along the way, even though it was pitch-dark. Whatever it was Victor had been trying to get through to him didn't appear to have any affect on his mood whatsoever. At least one of them was feeling at ease.

"I take it Victor didn't take the news too well," Nicole stated, initiating what was to be a seemingly innocent probing session.

"Oh, what, did you think he was gonna give us his blessing," Brady answered sarcastically. He reached over and felt her forehead with the back of his hand. "You must be sicker than I thought."

"No, but I thought he'd at least mellow to the idea for Sawyer's sake but apparently I've done something else wrong. What, pray tell, is he accusing me of now?"

"Don't worry about it. You know-"

"No, I am worried about it. I think I have a right to know what I'm being accused of."

"It's pointless, Nic, because I don't believe him, ok? I know exactly what my granddad is doing. He's so desperate to stop this wedding that he just started spitting out all these weird random accusations. Things that he could have brought up weeks ago if they were true."

Come on Brady. Give me something to work with here. "OK, so who am I supposedly screwing behind your back? Oooh, lemme guess, Miles? Or maybe it's Steve, you know, the hottie who delivers Sawyer's oxygen."

"Or EJ."

Nicole was grateful when she felt the sudden urge to vomit again. Discharging the contents of her stomach had bought her all the time she needed to assess Brady's disposition and come to the conclusion that he wasn't even suspicious, nor was he looking for her to offer any kind of comment or explanation. He truly believed she was loyal to him which was only going to make things a million times harder for her when the time came to tell him the truth.

"Sorry, babe," he spoke softly to her once he was certain the episode had passed, "I didn't mean to upset you more."

"It's not you. I've been feeling like this ever since I heard he was out. I can't believe Victor would even go there."

"Well, he did. And of course he just happens to have a video to prove it," Brady said, throwing his head back in a hearty laugh during the latter part of the statement.

She received very little warning from her stomach this time and just barely managed to bring the barf bag to her mouth in time.

"Honey, I'm afraid this might be something more than nerves. I think I'm gonna head back to the sleep cabin and lie down, ok?"

Nope, pretty much one hundred percent nerves thanks to that little revelation, but what was it that Victor really had? Was it something from their time in Australia? Could he have known where they were and not bothered to share his info with anyone at the time, or was this proof more recent? Like, yesterday recent? Could he have had a camera set up in her doctor's office and been waching and/or listening to her and Chad/EJ all this time? Of course he could have and she knew it, and she had been far too careless. Fuck. Now it made even more sense that he would have Xander kill her. He probably knew everything she was planning to do to him as well because, hey, if you're gonna install video cameras, why not bug the joint too?

But Xander had been clueless he was part of her plan all along and if Victor had heard the conversation between herself and EJ he would have warned his nephew. On second thought, Xander's ignorance might be irrelevant; Victor for some reason or another may not have wanted him to know his real reason for wanting her gone, but it could also mean that he really didn't know and she was just being totally paranoid. Still, the fear of the unknown continued to plague her and by the time they reached Vegas, she was quite sure there was absolutely nothing left in her stomach for it to dispense. The only bright side was that if her body kept this up, it might buy her enough time to avoid being married by an Elvis impersonator until she could marry the real Elvis, DiMera, that is, instead.

Meanwhile, back in Salem, EJ was so anxious he couldn't even bring himself to take a sip of the coffee in his hand. His eyes kept darting relentlessly around the Horton Town Square, eager to catch his first glimpse of Belle and Alexander. It wasn't the best timing for a family reunion given his startling new look courtesy of Brady's goons, and he had cancelled seeing Johnny and Sydney this evening for that very reason, but what could he do? According to Brandon, Nicole had run into some kind of trouble and was insistent that Belle and Alexander should see him ASAP. Of course he'd prefer to spare alarming his children with his black eye and split lip, but in the long run he supposed seeing him in his current state was still better than not seeing him at all.

The meeting would only be a brief one anyway. Nicole had warned him he was being watched 24/7 but it wouldn't have taken long for him to figure that out on his own. Immediately after being released by Brady's thugs, he'd tried to get to the Kiriakis mansion to check up on her only to have his car run off the road enroute. After being dragged from his vehicle, he was given a few more swift reminders to the gut to stay away. He imagined he wouldn't get much time with his kids before he would have a similar encounter.

"DADDY!"

He whipped around to find Belle and Alexander running toward him at full-speed with Brandon calling after them as he followed close behind, and Chloe trailing the pack in the distance.

"Belle, Alex, wait! Come back here," Brandon implored, not because he was really trying to stop them, but because Nicole had instructed him to make sure it didn't look like the meeting was pre-arranged. He'd actually coached his niece and nephew himself to ignore his demands while they were on the way to the square.

EJ crouched down and caught his little ones when they reached him with outstreached arms. "Hi, munchkins," he murmered between alternating kisses from son to daughter, daughter to son. "Oh God, daddy has missed you so much! Daddy loves you both so so much!"

They were hugging him back just as tightly as he was holding onto them and, although their faces were currently out-of-sight over his shoulders, he could hear his sweet little Belle had begun to cry.

"I missed you too, daddy!"

"Please don't cry, princess. Daddy is here now, in Salem, so you'll be seeing me all the time now."

"What happened to your face," she asked as she broke free of his embrace and reached her hand to his cheek and delicately stroked his bruised flesh.

Her big blue eyes were wide with concern as she awaited an explanation and he was suddenly overwhelmed by how much she reminded him of Nicole in that moment. It wasn't so much their physical similarities which impacted him so strongly this time but her mannerisms. Nicole was always so attentive to the needs of her loved ones and put their happiness and well-being before her own needs without giving it a second thought and he had just now witnessed their daughter do the same with her concern over his appearance. She had stopped her crying to address the state of his face and suddenly, his well-being had become her main focus. His little girl was a clone of her mother through and through.

"It's nothing, sweetheart, daddy was in a little accident, but as you can see, aside from this little mess it made of my face, I'm perfectly fine, so don't you worry about me, ok?"

He hugged her tightly again, engulfing her comparitively tiny little body in his strong, protective arms. That was the way it was supposed to work, the daddy comforting his child; not the other way around.

Brandon was shaking his head at EJ disapprovingly for the benefit of the two familiar goons off in the distance keeping a very close eye on the situation. Chloe was at his side with her arm looped through his, looking panicked.

"I'm giving you two minutes, DiMera," Brandon commented flatly, letting his eyes and clenched fists communicate what would happen if he didn't follow his demands. In reality, he wished it was the two goons he could pummel instead. Although he remained somewhat skeptical himself of his ex, maybe soon-to-be again brother-in-law, there was no denying there was a tremendously powerful, mutual love between the children and their father and his niece an nephew were undoubtedly beyond happy to finally see their dad.

"Daddy, can we stay with you tonight? Please," Alexander pleaded desperately as he tugged away on his father's shirt.

His heart was throbbing so hard that it hurt. He knew his little boy was straying from the script with his request and the absolute worst part about it was, there was no way he'd be able to fulfill his wish.

"Sweetie, your mommy wants you to stay with your uncle Brandon and I," Chloe chimed in. "You know that we would have to talk to your mommy first to see if it's ok."

"Your aunt Chloe is right. Maybe another night, once we get your mommy's ok. How does that sound?"

Alexander could only nod in response. His little chest heaved out of control as he tried to calm himself down and be the courageous little boy his mommy had asked him to be. He had managed to subdue his tears before they overcame him and for once, he didn't cry. His efforts didn't go unnoticed and EJ made sure that his son was rewarded for his bravery with a big hug and kiss.

"Just a little while longer, Alex," Belle said soothingly, as she touseled her brother's hair to comfort him, again, just like Nicole would do. "We'll be back together soon, right daddy?"

"Right, princess. Very soon," he whispered into her ear as she hugged him tightly around his neck. "We'll all be together again very soon. Your mommy is working very hard to make that happen, you know that, don't you?"

Both of his children nodded enthusiastically in response, but it was Alex who chimed in with the verbal acknowledgement of, "Yes."

"And I know your mommy is the single most stubborn, determined person I have ever met, and when she says she's going to do something, there's no stopping her until she's achieved her goal. It's one of the many reasons I love her so much."

Belle was grinning happily as she laid her head on her daddy's shoulder and listened to him gush about his love for her mother. To her, her father's stories about her mother were even better than her favorite fairytales.

"Let's wrap it up, DiMera," Brandon said as he watched the scene, impatiently tapping his foot on the ground.

"Come on, you two," Chloe said as she approached the group and placed a hand on each one of the childrens' shoulders. "Let's go get some yogurt before they run out of sprinkles and all the other yummy stuff we're gonna pile on top!"

EJ drew out the last hug and kiss per child for as long as he possibly could before giving them a gentle send-off with their aunt Chloe. As much as he hated to see them go, he was anxious to hear the message from Nicole that Brandon had been instructed to relay.

Of course it had to look like there was some sort of confrontation taking place so the minute that the kids were out of sight, Brandon grabbed him by the shirt to yank him close to his face where he would appear to be issuing him some kind of warning. He would do just that before he was through with EJ DiMera since he remained wary of him himself, but for now it was strictly onto his sister's business.

"We don't have much time before I'd really have to hit you, so do yourself a favor and keep your mouth shut and listen," Brandon relayed in the sternest tone he could get away with still calling a whisper. "Nicole left town. She and Brady are flying to Vegas. If you're half the man you claim to be, I highly suggest you get some of your people over there to keep an eye on her. She's in trouble."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

"I don't know, man, you know how she is. She thinks she's Wonder Woman and doesn't want anyone to worry about her so she wouldn't tell me but, apparently, some big shit is about to go down and I guess she thought it would be best if she weren't around for it. She said if everything goes as planned, Victor Kiriakis will be behind bars within the week."

"Within the week," EJ said shaking his head in disbelief. "That's impossible. The only way that could happen is if Victor is placed at the scene somehow. Just yesterday we concluded that could take months."

"Yeah, well apparently something changed, I don't know what, but I'll tell you one thing, she's scared. She wouldn't say as much but she hinted that if she were to stick around, her life might be in danger. I swear to God, if anything happens to my sister, it's you I'm holding responsible."

EJ knew Brandon's warning wasn't merely part of the act. If anything happened to Nicole, he was sure to suffer an untimely death at the hands of her big brother, but it would merely be his physical demise at that point. God forbid if something awful happened to her and he hadn't done his part to protect her, he would already be dead inside.

"Do you know where she went," EJ inquired with desperation in addition to eating his pride with the admission that he was clueless to her whereabouts. "I've been having my people keep an eye on her but when they couldn't explain where she disappeared to for several hours yesterday I decided to take on the job myself. Let's just say that didn't go very well either. I can't get anywhere near her with those two goons around over there," EJ indicated by nodding his head in the direction of the two buffoons in the background trying to look nonchalant as they sipped their coffees.

"So that's where you got the shiner?"

EJ shook his head. "I suppose they're partially responsible, but mostly it was Brady. Brandon, please, you need to call Nicole for me and tell her to be very careful. If this is all gonna happen like she says it is, she needs to be mindful of Brady. I'm afraid he could harm her."

"Get the fuck out of here, man, Brady would't hurt Nicole, not like that."

"No, Brady wouldn't but I'm afraid coked-up Brady out of his mind with anger, might. He's using, cocaine, and a lot of it. I saw him with my own eyes. When he finds out what she's done, he's not going to take it well I'm afraid, even if she breaks it to him gently. Please, you need to tell her that as soon as Victor is behind bars, she needs to come home straight away. Tell her whatever she does, don't tell Brady the truth when they're alone."

"Fuck," Brandon said as the unimaginable suddenly became a very real possibility, especially considering Nicole's latest maneuver she'd been forced to make in her desperation. "Oh fuck, this is not good. If what you're saying is true, Brady is going to be beyond pissed when he finds out, more than you can probably imagine."

"Why do you say that," EJ inquired with an all new wave of alarm pulsating throughout his body brought on by the panicked look in Brandon's face alone.

"Because they're going to Vegas to get married. Tonight." 


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Las Vegas

Three Weeks Later

Nicole sat on the edge of the bed in the penthouse suite at the Bellagio, staring down blankly at the diamond ring and matching wedding band resting in the palm of her hand. When actually worn on the ring finger of her left hand as one would assume it should be, it told the world that she had recently become Mrs. Brady Black. However, in times like the present when Brady was fast asleep and she was about to venture out into the casino to do some investigating, into her purse the two rings went until the next showtime.

If things would have gone as initially planned, she would have successfully avoided the wedding altogether. What should have been a next day event ended up being postponed for two whole weeks while she milked the physical effects of her nervousness for all it was worth by claiming it was the flu instead. It was a measure she had been forced to take since Xander had yet to come through on his end of the deal. That little stunt had come close to getting her nothing but a trip back home but when she'd begged Brady for them to stay because she felt safer there, he found it hard to refuse her and they remained in the expensive top-floor suite until she felt well enough to resume their plans. Tomorrow they would be married one full week.

The worst part of it all was being away from Belle and Alexander. A week was far too much as it was and now, the week had somehow turned into three with no definitive end in sight. She knew she couldn't get away with being apart from them for long. Of course she never wanted to be in the first place and she missed them like crazy, and vice/versa, but Facetime had allowed them the privelege of intimately keeping in touch over the miles that separated them. Still, anyone who knew Nicole well knew that nothing was more important to her than her kids which was why Brady had started to become suspicious when she didn't wish to return home immediately after their wedding. She'd insisted she get her honeymoon, pointing out that even though they had been in Vegas for two weeks, she'd barely left their suite the entire time. When he suggested they fly home and collect Belle and Alex and find a more family-friendly destination elsewhere, she quickly devised a plan with Brandon for him and Chloe to take the kids on a two week trip to Disneyworld as part of their "wedding gift" to herself and Brady. It was bad enough she didn't feel they were safe being around her with the big ol' target on her own back, but after learning from EJ the mystery behind Brady's erratic behavior was cocaine, she didn't want to expose them to him anymore either, especially with the impending revelation.

Brandon, Chloe, and the 2.5 kids were now halfway through the trip which meant she had one more week of praying for the whole thing to finally come to an end before their vacation time was up. According to her conversation with Xander the night before, he just might have some promising news for her this evening. With Brady now fast asleep, thanks to a little assistance from the pill she dissolved into his club soda, she made a quick visit to Slavenka's room to inform Sawyer's nurse she was heading down to the pool, sporting the proper attire in an aqua blue bikini beneath a silky, white floral cover-up, and left her in charge of Sawyer.

She descended twelve floors before slinking off the elevator and darting into a room EJ had set up for her pseudonym "Fallon Carrington" under a dummy business name on the twenty-first floor. It was here that she had unsupervised access to her most precious commodity right now: an untraceable cell phone that EJ's guys watching over her had provided her with shortly after learning where she was, along with the information about the room he'd rented for her and a the fake ID she would need to claim her key. There was an awkward moment when she stepped up to the counter for the key and was recognized as the infamous Nicole Walker by the clerk, but with some quick-thinking she explained to the young brunette woman, Emily was her name, in a hushed tone that it was a little role-playing activity between herself and her fiance Mr. Black, and that she must never bring it up to Brady if they ever came in contact because he would be embarrassed. Another close call.

After locking the door behind her, she raced to the phone tucked inside the desk drawer to check her messages and saw that there were several from EJ, as expected. She would read through them later and try to memorize his romantic sentiments for when she was lying in bed next to Brady just trying to get through another night but for now she intended to take full advantage of the wonders of Facetime once again.

"Sweetheart, thank god. I was beginning to worry," he answered breathlessly after picking up after only half a ring on his end. "Is everything alright?"

There was genuine panic in his eyes which she immediately sought to erase. "Yes, I'm fine honey," she assured him as she took note of the time. It had taken a good twenty minutes after they'd arrived back in the suite after dinner to stop Brady from pawing at her long enough to pause for a drink, setting her that much behind in making her secret phone calls for the evening. "How was your day?"

"Completely horrendous, as is every other day without you here. Why don't you just come home, Nikki. We can handle Victor."

Nicole sighed regretfully. "I wish I could, but honey, I told you, it's already too late for that. The worst thing we could do right now is back down. Victor wants me dead, I'm sure Xander probably will too once he finds out I've been leading him on-"

"So what. I'll just take care of them both and we'll be done with it."

"Oh, really, it's that easy, is it," Nicole replied with a sarcastic chuckle as she shrugged her shoulders in exaggerated indifference.

"Yes, it is," EJ stated matter-of-factly although he knew he was about to be told otherwise.

"No, it's not. After everything we've been through, you mean to tell me you haven't learned the effectiveness of financially crippling the enemy? Death isn't good enough for the likes of Victor and his clan. You kill Victor, then all you'll accomplish is pissing off a bunch of already filthy-rich Greeks who just got a bit richer from their inheritance. It doesn't solve anything, all it does-"

"I know, sweetheart, I know," he interrupted before she got herself all riled up. "You're right, I know that. I just feel so helpless not knowing what to do. Scratch that. I know what I want to do but my boss just won't let me."

She shot him a playful, disapproving look. "Hey, I've given you a list of plenty of things that you can do, so don't give me that."

"Ah, yes, let me see. Item number one said, 'don't do anything without my approval,' and I believe item number two was something like 'see if I can get the Property Brothers to come redo the mansion."

She bit her bottom lip to refrain from giggling at his frustration. "Well, making the mansion a home we want to raise our children in is important to me. I don't want to bring our babies into that mess and tell them that this is home. You can't walk into a room there without some creepy portrait of Stefano watching you. For all we know he migh be hiding in the walls watching for real. That's why I want that place gutted."

"Ah, speaking of HGTV stars, there is something I need to warn you about. As of this afternoon, Peyton Matthews officially signed a deal with DiMera Enterprises so be prepared that Brady could find out any time now."

"Oh, really? And how exactly did we manage that," she purred with a knowing grin.

"How do you think? Our little Chadworth banged the broad and now he can't get rid of her. Sweetheart, please, be careful. Brady is going to be furious. I don't-"

"Honey, HONEY," she interrupted sternly to imply he shut up and listen. "It's going to be fine, trust me. I know what I'm doing so stop being such a control freak and-"

"Oh, I'M the control freak?"

She was giggling now. God how she had missed how he made her laugh, and smile, and feel so safe and secure and cherished. "We're all going to be fine, you, me, and the munchkins which, speaking of, did you get the selfies our Belle took with Beast's Belle?"

EJ grinned adoringly as he recalled the picture in question. "Yes, God could that little smile of hers get any bigger? She was so excited. I wonder if she managed to find Rapunzel. I know that was at the top of her list."

"I'm leaning toward 'no' since I'm sure we would have gotten pics if she had."

EJ watched with frustration as Nicole's smile slowly faded to a frown. It was times like this where he would take her into his arms and refuse to let her go until she was smiling once more.

"I really wish we could be there with them, EJ. Taking the kids to Disney; that's something I really wanted for us to do as a family."

"We will, sweetheart, all of us together."

"I know, but I wanted to be there for their first time. I wanted to see their little faces light up with excitement when the experience was still fresh and new."

"Don't you worry. When we finally get the opportunity to take them, I'm sure it will be a most memorable occasion.

"Yeah, I hope so" she murmured quietly with a regretful frown.

"It will be, I promise," he informed her with a twinkle in his eye which was obviously not caught on camera, for the implication that he already had something up his sleeve seemed to go well over her head.

After a fifteen minute prolonged goodbye thanks to some deliberate stalling from each party, Nicole finally ended the call and proceeded to her next order of business: checking in with Xander.

"I hope you have some good news for me this time?"

"I do," his thick, Scottish accent informed her. "We're looking good for the end of this week. The rest of the goods should be accounted for by then and we'll be ready to make the exchange. Now, are you ready for the really exciting part?"

"There's an exciting part?"

"Well, it's exciting for me. It means I'm one step closer to claiming my prize."

Nicole felt like she was going to be sick again. It was like she couldn't win no matter what. Even when Victor would finally be locked away and the Kiriakis family found itself financially crippled, she would then have to worry about Xander and what he might do once he learned he'd been duped just like the rest. She liked to believe she could take his word that he would never do her any harm but to allow herself to trust the enemy was the absolute worst mistake she could make.

"I managed to get uncle Victor on tape, screaming at me for lousing things up once again, He's was very vague, of course, but if I can get him to show up down at the docks when the exchange is being made, the FBI says that will be enough."

"Perfect," she gushed into the receiver breathily. "I'm telling you, Xander, you won't regret this. Victor has controlled you, and taken advantage of you for far too long. As long as he's calling the shots, you don't stand a chance at making a name for yourself or representing the family. He has you exactly where he intends to keep you and anything you might have been told otherwise was simply crafted to keep you in line." "I know, you're right. There was a reason my father picked up and left Greece, and that reason was victor. He tried to warn me about him, you know, but I didn't listen. I can't believe I was so stupid to think-"

"You were grieving the loss of your father. When someone dies so unexpectedly like that we seek answers, and you were hoping that Victor could help you fill in the blanks. It's perfectly understandable you would turn to someone your father had been close to, at least at one time. Only Victor would use a person's desperation and grief against them." Geez, Nikki, You're starting to sound more like Dr. Marlena Evans than you are Nicole Walker. Only difference is, you're not gonna get paid for this shit.

"I could just kiss you, Nicole Walker. You've really helped me open my eyes to a lot of things, not just Uncle Victor."

Nicole was thankful this was not a Facetime call and she was free to roll her eyes. In typical Nicole fashion, in the quest to find a solution to her problems she instead opened up a whole new can of worms with Xander. She didn't dare ask him to elaborate since she already knew very well where he was going but unfortunately for her, he didn't require further prompting.

"I never thought in a million years that a woman could captivate me so much as you. You are a rare gem to do so, I'll have you know."

"Sounds like I'm a lucky girl to have caught the eye of such a discriminating gentleman."

"Oh, I beg to differ. I am the lucky one here, love. I wanted you from the moment I saw you, but it was when you pulled a gun on me that I knew I had to have you."

Nicole emitted a sarcastic moan of pleasure. "Isn't that how all the great romances start."

"Oh shut up, you, they do in my book. There's just something so incredibly sexy about a woman who is ready to kick some ass. And then finding out the only reason you're with Brady is to take down Victor? I 've never met another person with the balls to do something like that."

Or how about, con a trained hitman into helping you reunite with the man of your dreams, all the while leading him to believe you want to hook up? That was more than simply having balls; it was pretty damn near defining insanity.

"I'm not doing this for kicks, I'm doing it for my kids. From the day I became a mother, every single thing I do is for them. There is no one or nothing more important to me than them so I hope you can understand and accept that, because that's never going to change. I hope you realize there is no fairytale ending to this story," well, not for you, at least, she added quietly to herself. "Before this thing with you and me goes anywhere, I need you to prove to me that you're going to be a good role model and father figure to them. I come as a part of a package deal, baby."

She was hoping the ultimatum would be enough to send him screaming in the opposite direction but, unfortunately, just like each interaction before it, he only seemed to grow even more infatuated with her.

"Of course, love, I wouldn't dream of it any other way. I just hope you can find it in your heart to be patient with me. I'm afraid I don't have much experience with children but I must say, watching you with them actually made me consider what it would be like to be a father. I never thought I wanted that but now...I think I do. Maybe one day, we can even have a child of our own."

"Xander, I already have three kids who need my undivided attention at all times. What if I don't want to have another baby? Is that something you could live with?" Please say 'no,' please say 'no.'

"Of course,' he replied quickly with enough desperation to explain himself to produce a stutter. "I-I didn't mean t-to imply that I couldn't love your children the same, I-I just..."

"It's OK," she interrupted with intentions of ending the conversation ASAP since it obviously wasn't going in her favor. "Look, I have to go. I'm afraid Brady will wake up soon and I don't want to be missing from the room when he does. This is all stuff we can discuss at a better time which should be by the end of this week, right?"

"Right," he replied pensively. "Nicole, I hope I haven't made you reconsider-"

"Don't be silly, we're on, ok? I didn't expect you were gonna come out of a box ready to be an insta-dad. I'm the one who should be worrying about you changing your mind."

"Nicole, I would-"

"Don't worry about it. Look, real quick before I let you go, has Victor mentioned anything about me lately?"

"No, look, I told you, you're in the clear for now. He's too preoccupied with what's going on here to worry about you, plus he's convinced he can change Brady's mind somehow. You just might be off the hook completely so I wouldn't worry about Victor. Besides, I personally would never let anything happen to you, so don't be frightened, ok? Nicole, I'm-"

"Sorry, I have to go. Talk soon."

She frantically tapped the end call button and let out a wail of frustration once she was certain the call had been terminated. Tossing the phone onto the bed first, she then fell backward into the unpleasantly rigid mattress, a far cry from the comfy, plush one in her luxury suite, and began inhaling deeply to catch her breath, now laboring in effort to keep up with her racing heart.

"Well, Nikki, you've gone and done it again," she lamented as she now had to add one more person to her long list of broken hearts. She could only hope that this most recent addition wouldn't change his mind and suddenly want to kill her for it. "OK, you can do this, just take 'em as they come, one at a time. You just have to worry about Brady right now and save Xander for later."

When she was confident she had successfully self-calmed her nerves, she rolled off the bed and started to make her way out of the room. That was the last thing she remembered before hearing her cell phone ring. In her attempt to locate her phone, her arm reached out to grab it off of the night stand by the alarm clock where it should be. When her hand came up empty, she opened her eyes up to find herself on the floor of the secret room with her purse and it's contents spilled out on the floor in front of her, causing her to sit up abruptly and survey the situation. The call, from whoever it was, would have to wait.

Her first thought was that somebody had attacked her, but when she couldn't sense any kind of injury to herself she concluded that she may have fainted. As she lay in a daze pondering the possibilities, she was suddenly overcome with the urge to vomit and just barely crawled her way to the wastebasket in time.

"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me," she grunted in between bouts of expelling the clear fluid which clearly differentiated this sickness from her recent bouts of nausea which were clearly from nothing else but nervousness and upset. "Really, EJ? One time. ONE TIME!"

All the familiar symptoms were there, the fainting, vomiting, and fatigue, but there was a chance that she could be wrong and there was no sense flipping out until she knew for sure. If her symptoms didn't cease over the next few days she would take a test, but she had already been through this enough times before, three to be exact, to know the tell-tale signs when she suffered them. There was no doubt in her mind she was pregnant. Again.

Her phone started to ring once more. Shit. How long had she been passed out like that? She finally brought herself to her feet in her quest to dig her phone out of the pile of rubble left behind by her spilled purse but she never made it. Her legs gave out from beneath her and it wasn't until several minutes later that she woke up to find herself sprawled out on the floor again.

She managed to sit up and prop her back up against the bed, taking several deep breaths to calm herself "Oh my god. This can't be happening. Not now."

Her phone started ringing again. It had to be either Brady or Slavenka calling which meant she was going to have some explaining to do when she was finally able to make it back to the room. For a minute she thought about calling EJ instead to tell him that she was ready to come home but of course that was an impossibility. If Xander had any inkling that EJ was part of her endgame, that would be the deal-breaker.

She craned her head around to observe the time on the bedside alarm clock. It was 12:34 and she had left the room just shortly after 10. Fuck. Normally shen she'd slip out to 'go for a swim,' she was no more than 45 minutes. She was going to have to think of something.

Afraid to make another attempt to get on her feet just yet, she crawled to her phone and saw that there were 17 missed calls from Brady within the span of one hour. Fuck! He was probably well-panicked by now and searching the casino for her so she was gonna have to think of something, quick. Luckily, the ability to think fast was a trait she'd been blessed with and in merely two minutes she had formed a plan.

She began to crawl her way to the bathroom to initiate step one of her latest scheme. Initially, puking had not been part of it but luckily she had been headed in the right direction when she was suddenly overcome by another round of vomiting, When her queasiness finally subsided and she was able to resume her original mission, she flipped the switch in the tub which plugged the drain and turned on the water and let it run until it was about an inch deep, then dropped her cell into it. She allowed it to stay submerged for two full minutes before retrieving it to check whether or not it was functional. When it lit up momentarily only to go black a mere second later, she knew she had successfully ruined her phone, securing part of her alibi.

Next, she ran some of the bathwater through her hair, just enough to slightly dampen it, then applied the same, light application to the fabric of the swimsuit she wore beneath the cover-up to give the appearance that she had been in the pool at least within the last hour. She then crawled her way back to the bedroom where there was nice, soft carpeting for her to fall to if her attempt to walk once again ended in disaster. This time however, she found success and was able to repack her purse, well, most of it's contents anyway, before departing back to the penthouse suite, making a quick stop to the hotel kitchen beforehand to secure another prop for her story.

Her timing couldn't have been more perfect for when she let herself back into the room, she found Brady sitting before his laptop. Little did she know, it was her arrival which had interrupted him clicking to download the file that Victor had sent him via email immediately after their departure to Vegas. The one that he had chosen to ignore up until that very moment. The same one that contained a video showing Nicole and EJ making love in her doctor's office with a time and date stamp indicating the date as just short of one month earlier.


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Las Vegas

Same Evening

"Babe, what the hell is going on," Brady said hysterically as he jumped to his feet and raced over to greet NIcole as soon as she stepped through the door. "Where the fuck have you been? I've been combing this place for over an hour looking for you!"

Nicole's heart began to race as she witnessed Brady reach an entirely new level of rage. "Honey, I'm sorry," she said as she rushed to his side, playing the part of the dutiful wife when in reality she wanted to go hide in a closet until he calmed down. "Why were you looking for me, is Sawyer ok?"

"Oh, yeah, Sawyer's fine. I was just wondering where in the hell my wife disappeared to FOR OVER TWO HOURS WHEN SHE CLAIMED TO BE GOING TO THE POOL!"

He was screaming right in her face, causing her natural reactions to fear to kick in. She sought to begin her explanation but the only sounds to escape were a few raspy, croaking noises as opposed to the intelligible words she wished to provide. After a few deep breaths, she managed to make her defense.

"I WAS at the pool, HONEY, geez, can you at least give me a chance to explain before you get all bent? Where in the hell would you think I was?"

"I don't know," he admitted in a considerably more mellow state. "But you sure as hell weren't at the pool."

"YES. I. WAS," she insisted through gritted teeth. "If you would give me the chance to explain, I could tell you the whole story, starting with this!"

She tossed something in his direction which he instinctively caught once within his reach and saw that it was a clear, ziploc bag containing her cell phone and about two cups worth of uncooked rice.

"I was in the pool for, I dunno, maybe half an hour, as usual. Anyway, when I got out, I forgot I had wrapped my cell up in my towel and when I shook it out to unfold it, I ended up flinging my phone into the pool. Anyway, needless to say I was flipping out. I tried playing with it for a bit and it wouldn't turn on so I took it into the bathroom and tried running it under the dryer for a while. When that didn't work, I went to the desk to ask them to make me a room key because I realized I forgot mine and I didn't want to wake you, and in the midst of our conversation I started telling the kid about my phone and that's when he suggested the rice thing so I trotted off to the kitchen to go get some, and ended up sharing cell phone war stories with some of the gang back there for a bit. Supposedly it works so, we shall see. Does that satisfy your curiosity, Mr. Black or are you still convinced your wife was up to no good?"

Brady approached her and fell to his knees before her. Taking her hands into his, he began his sincere apology. "I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain. Honestly, I didn't know what to think, babe. Between EJ walking around a free man and my grandfather insisting that you're consorting with the enemy, I didn't know if I should be scared or suspicious."

"Wow, ok," she said with annoyance as she tried to jerk her hands free of his grip, only to find him unwilling to let go. "I can't believe you would even consider for a second that I'm somehow involved with EJ. I don't care what kind of proof your grandfather claims he has. My word should be enough, but obviously that isn't the case."

Forgive me father for I have sinned! She knew the more she scrambled to keep her secret safe, the more she would end up hurting Brady in the end and that was the only part of this whole thing that she would be truly sorry for. He wasn't going to take any part of it well, and especially not in his current state, but unlike EJ, she was more afraid of the damage that she was doing to him than of Brady hurting her. Would he be livid? Yes. Would he likely cuss and break a few things and perhaps call her an unflattering name or two? Absolutely. Physically harm her? Never.

"You're right, it should be, and I am so sorry that I ever doubted you, but Nic...if we're being honest here, then you need to know what I'm feeling and why I have a hard time putting these suspicions to rest. I'm not very proud of myself for feeling this way but, regardless, it is how I feel and you deserve to know what's plaguing me. I'm trying so hard to be understanding, but I guess I'm just still having a really hard time dealing with the fact that you don't want to be intimate with me. First it was because of the kids, and then cuz you had guilt over what happened between you and EJ...Look, I realize what I'm saying makes me sound like an insensitive bastard and that's because I probably am for feeling this way but-"

"So in other words, if I were to sleep with you right now, then that would erase all your doubts because God knows, the only way you can prove to someone you love them is to fuck them."

Brady started shaking his head 'no' adamantly. "No, of course not, that's-"

"Fine. Then just fuck me and get it over with. After all, we're married now so I guess that means I have to start putting out, right?"

"Nic, stop it, that's not what I meant. I love you. I fucking LOVE you, so much. Do you really think I'd be here now if I didn't? These last few months have been incredibly difficult. Do you have any idea what it's like not being able to express your true feelings for the person you love more than anyone in the world?"

Why, yes...yes I do, she thought to herself.

"I'm talking about more than sex here. You know, when it comes to Belle and Alex, I totally get that you don't want to do anything in front of them but I guess I also thought that with you and me being alone here, things would be different and obviously, they haven't been. I'm not trying to be a bastard here, Nic, I just want to help you because, babe, whatever the reason is, this is not normal. Not in any way, shape, or form."

Nicole simply nodded in response. Even she had to admit she was amazed by how long she'd been able to string him along without him going completely beserk.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Brady, I truly am. You really deserve so much better than-"

"Nic, stop it. There is no one better for me than you."

She came very close to blurting out the truth right then and there. She so desperately wanted to end this charade, for everyone's sake, but now more than ever with the possibility of another pregnancy looming. One thing for sure was, if she was in fact with child, if Xander didn't come through again she would now have a very small window to complete her mission before Brady took notice of her condition and considering she hadn't slept with the man in close to a year, needless to say, he was not going to be a happy camper. Tears of genuine regret for her actions where Brady was concerned began to roll down her cheeks, prompting Brady to draw her hand to his lips for a kiss, but then stopped when his lips were just fractions of a centimeter away from her flesh.

"What happened to your rings?"

"Hmmm," she responded blankly, still caught up in the whirlwind of thoughts involving EJ, Brady, and her children, present and pending.

"Your rings? What happened to them?"

She finally snapped back into reality and gasped when she realized she was being questioned about her missing wedding band and engagement ring. "Oh, oh, honey, I'm sorry, they're in my purse. I don't like wearing them in the pool and then after all the commotion with my phone, I just forgot to put them back on."

She broke free of his grasp and retrieved her purse, spilling the contents on the bed to simplify locating the rings. But she could only find the wedding band. After a good half hour of herself and Brady going through the spilled contents and checking the bag itself over and over again, her engagement ring was still MIA. FUCK. She must have missed it on the floor in the other room but of course she couldn't explain that to Brady.

"I must have lost it when I was going through my purse searching for the room key."

"It's alright, babe, don't panic. I'll call down to the desk and see if anyone's turned it in."

Things went from bad to worse, and quickly. In effort to quickly identify Nicole, he provided the clerk with the part of her account which she claimed took place at the desk, only for the clerk to deny and such interaction had taken place although he did admit he knew who Nicole was without any description necessary which thankfully seemed to satisfy Brady, at least for now.

"I guess they must've just went through a shift change, but the guy said no one has turned in a ring to his knowledge but he said they will definitely call if it turns up. In the meantime, I think we should go look, ok."

Nicole nodded enthusiastically. "Honey, I can't say it enough, I'm so sorry. Look, if we split up-"

"No splitting up. We're doing this together."

He grabbed her, not by the hand this time, but by engulfing her slender wrist completely within his rough grip. Even in the elevator as they descended all 33 floors to the main level, he didn't let go. He didn't look at her and instead became fixated watching the floor numbers drop on the digital display as if he were using the countdown as some sort of tool to control his temper. She could see that he was furious now and imagined that he had become suspicious again after reanalyzing the interaction with the clerk. If only she could slip away for a minute back to the room she could get the stupid ring and be done with it, but risking a trip there while under Brady's watchful eye was far too risky. She would have to wait 'til the morning.

When morning came she was met with a lucky break. One of Brady's old buddies from boarding school heard he was in town and had gotten in touch with John to get his number. The two talked and made plans for lunch and when he saw that Nicole was in no shape to join them since she had spent the entire morning running back and forth to the bathroom to vomit, he was satisfied taking Sawyer with him and leaving Nicole behind to convalesce.

She waited a few minutes until after he left, then gave him a brief ring to inform him that no one had turned in her ring although her real purpose was to make sure that he made contact with his friend and was undoubtedly preoccupied for the next hour or so. With that curiosity satisfied, she made a quick excursion outside the hotel to the pharmacy within walking distance where she picked up a pregnancy test. She simply couldn't picture herself going another whole day without at least attempting to confirm although, if by chance it came back negative, she was already that convinced she was that another test might be necessary. In effort to skip this possible future step, she bought two.

Once inside the room, she flew to the bathroom to perform the tests before doing anything else since she'd been holding her bladder since learning the window of opportunity for her to go do her thing had opened up. She used the quest to recover the ring to preoccupy herself throughout the wait time for the results. All night long she couldn't sleep thinking about the possibility of another baby and the effect it would have on her already complicated family situation. She just had to do something to take her mind off it until she knew for sure she had something to worry about but, instead of putting her at ease, the search for the ring only made matters worse when she came up empty. Had she been in her room or had a working cell phone at that very moment, she would have gotten the call from the desk informing her that the ring had been found when the maid cleaned the "secret" room that morning. Instead, when she herself couldn't be reached, Brady received a most interesting message involving precisely where the ring had been found himself.


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Las Vegas

Same Day

"Oh, Mr. Black, there you are," the perky young lady behind the front desk chirped up when she saw him perched behind Sawyer's carriage, waving him to the front of the line. "I'm so happy we found your wife's ring. I know she would be so upset if were lost for good."

"Yes, she would be," Brady commented amiably as he ripped open the envelope just passed to him and inspected the ring inside. "Yup, that's it. You found this in our other room, you say?"

"Yes," she said quietly, blushing. "Yes. The one I'm not supposed to mention to you," she explained with a giggle. "I almost didn't call you because Nicole said you wanted to keep it on the down-low, but I thought this was an exceptional circumstance."

"Oh, absolutely, Emily, don't feel bad. You know, I woulda searched the room myself but wouldn't you know it, Nicole misplaced the key to the other room too."

"Oh, oh, here, I'll make you another one, no problem!"

Brady smiled with satisfaction as the clerk wrote the room number on the key, removing the need for him to play dumb and ask to be reminded of the exact number. His first instinct was to hop on the elevator and go straight to the room but after actually giving himself a minute to think over his strategy, he decided against it and stepped outside to phone their room, the penthouse one, to see if Nicole was there.

"Hello," she answered groggily as if suddenly jolted awake from a long winter's nap.

"Hey babe, it's me. Listen, I just wanted to check on you and make sure you're ok."

"Still not feeling so hot," she mumbled almost unintelligibly into the phone. "Where are you?"

"I'm still out with Chris. If it's OK with you, I thought I might spend another hour or so with him. I just fed Sawyer so he'll be good to go for a while. Question is, are you gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, honey, I'm fine. Go spend time with your friend and hopefully, I'll be feeling better by the time you get back and we can go find some trouble to get into."

Perfect. She was in the penthouse where she was supposed to be, and with a quick call to Slavenka, it was there she would stay since he informed the nurse she was expected to keep an eye on her. Once he knew he was guaranteed unsupervised access, he took the elevator up to the twenty-first floor and entered the mysterious room 2137.

At first there seemed to be little sign that anyone had recently been in the room at all, but he noticed that the bedspread was slightly ruffled, as if someone had been sitting there, so that's where he decided he might have a seat for himself. Considering what one could get into while sitting in that very spot, he reached over and started opening the dresser drawers. It had only taken him a single turn to find the cell phone sitting in the very first one.

He began scrolling through the numerous text messages, all coming from the same, unassigned number from a Salem area code.

I just heard something huge is going down at the docks! FBI and police are everywhere, can't get anywhere near the place. Heading down on foot to investigate. Call me please, ASAP, I want to know you're safe. I love you, sweetheart.

A picture of Belle with assorted Disney princesses, accompanied by the text: Look at our little princess, having brunch with Disney royalty. God she looks more and more like her beautiful mother every day.

Another picture, this one of Alex, dressed like a cowboy, posing with Buzz and Woody with his finger pointed toward the camera as if it were a gun: I can just hear him saying, 'reach for the sky,' in that perfect little Woody voice like he always did back in Australia. I miss those moments so much. Can't wait to have us all under one roof again."

Good morning, sweetheart. I know I probably won't hear from you until much later but of course, like always, you were the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning. I hope today brings us some good news so you can finally come back home where you belong. I love you and miss you so much.

I always hate saying good night to you, unless I'm whispering it into your ear in bed, that is. Problem is, I think once I finally get you back in by bed we might not find time to sleep for a very long time. That little jaunt in your doctor's office was a cruel tease, I'll have you know.

There were a few more to follow, but Brady had already seen enough, which was a good thing since he had thrown the phone into the wall with such force that it sparked a flame which quickly fizzled out, rendering it useless. After standing like a statue looking dumbfounded, for several minutes, without any pre-warning signs whatsoever, he went into a violent rage where he grabbed any breakable thing in sight and attempted to smash it into a million pieces. The disturbance immediately woke Sawyer from his afternoon nap, and the frightening display caused him to start wailing in fear and upset.

When Brady finally noticed his son crying after several minutes of his impenetrable state of rage, he finally found it within himself to calm down for the sake of his son. Scooping him up out of the carriage, he began to bounce him up and down soothingly in his arms.

"Ssssh, little guy, daddy's sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, daddy's just very upset too. You wanna know why daddy's upset, do you? Cuz your momma is a fucking whore, did you know that? Did you know your momma was cheating on your daddy behind his back, hmm?"

No, no, she couldn't be. Someone was trying to make him believe it. Victor, of course, he should have known his own grandfather would stoop so low to get what he wanted. Nicole would't do this...she couldn't.

Just look at the damn video, that's all I'm asking you to do, his grandfather's voice taunted him again. With Sawyer still in his arms, he slid his hand into the back pocket of his jeans and withdrew his phone. Without hesitation this time, he found the email containing the video and clicked the link.

And there she was, his wife, fucking EJ DiMera on the desk of that doctor's office where she was supposedly receiving counseling all this time, like the nasty pig that she was. He began to howl out in agony like some kind of wounded animal left alone in the woods to die when the full realization of her betrayal sunk in. He needed some physical release and nearly did the unthinkable: he had been so desperate to attack something that he nearly tossed his own son across the room.

Gasping for breath caused by his panicking over the near disaster, he replaced Sawyer into his carriage where he would be safe, then reached into his pocket for the only thing he knew could help calm him down. He snorted two measures from the vial of coke then tucked it safely away where it came from. When it didn't seem to be doing the job quickly enough, he went for a third, then stepped in the bathroom with the thought that perhaps a few splashes of cold water to the face could help calm him down enough to calmly confront Nicole. That's when something in the wastebasket caught his eye.

He would never have thought it possible he could be more furious with Nicole than he was just mere moments ago, but as he studied the two test sticks in the trash which clearly displayed the word 'pregnant' in the result window, he reached an all new, alien form of fury that no human being or voice of reason would be capable of stopping short of putting a bullet into his head, and he certainly did not come in contact with any person who would find it necessary to try as he made his way back to the penthouse and Nicole. 


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Las Vegas

Same Day

Nicole quietly laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling deep in thought, while her hands rubbed away on her still-flat, pregnant belly. Every so often her facial expressions would change right along with whatever mood she was struck by at the time but mostly, she was all smiles. There had been brief moments of despair and worry which plagued her from the moment she suspected she was pregnant, but those negative feelings were quickly replaced with all the positives ones that came flooding in. To believe that her family would even think this baby was anything short a blessing was ridiculous. Sure, they would all likely be just as shocked as she was to learn of the unexpected addition but, when she realistically predicted their reactions, she couldn't imagine any one of them being anything less than ecstatic over their new family member. Belle had already hinted wanting a baby sister while Alex petitioned for another brother, and she and EJ had always pondered what it would be like to have a large family. She started to chuckle when she concluded they were about to find out.

"Hey, peanut," she murmered softly as she pressed her hand firmly against her stomach symbolically to address the little one nestled safely inside. "I hope you know your mommy is already so in love with you, she's just a big ol' worrywart, like your daddy would say, that's all. And speaking of your daddy? Wait 'til you meet him. He is going to spoil you absolutely rotten, you know. OK, OK, yes, your daddy and I both will, just like we do with all your brothers and sisters who you will meet very soon. Your sister Belle will probably try to dress you up like a princess, regardless if you're a boy or a girl, and your brother Alex will probably make you play the bad guy in whatever scenario suits him at the time. Sawyer on the other hand is still a little guy, not too much bigger than you, so by the time you arrive he'll probably be just learning to talk. Then you have your brother Johnny who is the oldest and your sister Sydney who is just a few months younger than Belle. They might not live with us all the time because they have a different mommy but, thankfully, they both inherited your daddy's big heart, and they are going to love you to pieces because that's how we roll in this family. I'm tellin' ya, you're one lucky little dude or dudette to be surrounded by so much love."

Although she very well knew it was all in her head, she couldn't help but imagine that the tiny bubbles she felt in her stomach at that very moment was her baby reacting to the warm welcome into the family. Realistically, she deduced it was a sure sign she was about to be sick again so she rolled over and grabbed the wastebasket she'd dragged to her bedside, just in case.

She was worried about her health. She began drinking water constantly since the onset of the morning sickness to make sure she was staying hydrated but, typically, it wasn't enough to make up for what she lost through all the vomiting. She was prone to bouts of severe morning sickness which required a medication to keep it at bay but, getting herself to a doctor without Brady finding out simply wasn't possible. It also wasn't smart to go untreated and if Xander didn't come through within the next couple days, she might just have to take the risk of sneaking out to receive treatment, especially considering that morning sickness was just the beginning of her pregnancy woes. Even though she had carried Alexander nearly to term, the mystery behind her near-normal pregnancy with him had never been solved, and the fact that her other two children had been born so prematurely was one that couldn't be ignored. With this in mind, there were only two things on her agenda until she could get to a doctor; resting and getting her nourishment. She had already surrendered her fate to Xander weeks ago leaving her nothing left to do but worry. She could only hope that the worrying alone wouldn't do her in.

The room phone began to ring and Nicole wrinkled her nose as she debated whether or not to answer. She didn't like the idea of not being able to identify her caller before picking up, but that was her own fault since she'd gone and ruined her phone on purpose. In all likelihood, it was only Brandon trying to get a hold of her when she couldn't be reached on her cell. She was right.

"Sis, what the hell? Why aren't you answering your cell? Brady isn't picking up his either. What the hell is going on?"

She sighed regretfully into the receiver. "Oh, Brady is out with a friend and probably just shut his off. Sorry, I should have called you right away and told you I destroyed my phone when I dropped it into the pool." She briefly entertained telling Brandon the whole truth surrounding the phone mystery, but decided against it after noticing he and EJ had developed a tight bromance in her absence. If she managed to alarm Brandon, he was sure to pass the info on to EJ, and the last thing she needed was EJ flying in to rescue her on impulse.

"I'm sorry I don't have the kids with me," he went on to explain, "but I really just wanted to talk to you in private, plus I didn't want them to worry if I still wasn't able to get a hold of you."

"It's ok, what's going on? Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, fucking fantastic, sis! I take it you haven't yet heard the news?"

"News? What news?"

"Only the news we've all been waiting for. Victor was arrested this morning down at the docks."

"You're shitting me! This morning?"

"Yup. The press is staying pretty tight-lipped as to what the charges are, but the implication is that they're substantial and if he's convicted, he'll be going away for a very long time."

"YES," she screamed excitedly as she leapt to her feet and performed a brief victory dance. "Does EJ know?"

"Of course, he witnessed all the commotion before the news even broke. He actually stood there and watched them escort Victor away in cuffs."

"I can't believe it," she said in a whisper, shaking her head in a manner coinciding with her statement. "We did it, Brandon! We really fucking did it!"

"Well, it's looking good. As long as this Xander testifies-"

"He will," Nicole interruped quickly. "Believe me, you don't do something like that to Victor Kiriakis and then change your mind. Xander knows if he backs down and Victor is cleared, he's a dead man."

Just then, Nicole could hear the faint sound of the door lock unhitching and promptly ended the call with an abrupt, "call you back." Suddenly, she was terrified. Had Brady learned the news? And if he did, what then? She remembered EJ imploring her to just come home to him and they could explain everything to Brady later. That sounded like one hell of a good idea. Maybe she would just slip away and call EJ to come and get her since getting both herself and Sawyer to the airport, undetected seemed an impossibility. No...she couldn't do that to Brady. She did love the guy and she had been so wrapped up in her mission to take down Victor that she had become incredibly insensitive to his needs and feelings. He was already hurting, she knew that, and what she was about to tell him was only going to make that hurt a million times worse. He was going to be a wreck and she needed to be here for him, not run in the opposite direction as fast as she possibly could, taking their son away from him; that had never been her objective. She simply couldn't walk away until she knew he was going to be ok, and part of that plan involved personally accompanying him to a rehab facility where he could receive treatment for his addiction. Sawyer was going to need his daddy to be around for a very long time and she wanted to assure him that as soon as his health struggles were over she was perfectly willing to work out a fair, shared custody agreement.

If only she'd had the opportunity to explain all this before Brady had gotten himself all worked up, but of course she had no way of knowing what he now already knew. Within seconds of him entering the room, she regretted not slipping out to make that call to EJ. She watched in horror as Brady abandoned Sawyer's carriage by giving it one forceful shove, sending it traveling toward the wall at lightning speed. She gasped and ran to intercept it, but Brady was already moving stealthily toward her. In her desperate attempt to save her son from possible injury, she never saw the fist coming at her face. The next thing she knew, she was flat on her back on the floor with Brady's hands closing tightly around her neck. She desperately tried to plead for him to stop but she couldn't find the words nor the air to needed to make her request. He was screaming at her incessantly throughout the entire attack but in her desperation to preserve her life, she hadn't been able to register a single word. She fought him with all her might and tried to wiggle away but the knee pressing into her stomach and the hands pressing furiously into her throat kept her firmly pinned to the floor. The only tool she still had use of was her hands which fought relentlessly to pry away his from the vice-like grip he had on her neck but, in the end, her own strength had been no match to his and she found herself slipping away into the darkness, but not before the faces of her children and EJ flashed before her eyes one last time.

Little did she know, her knight was already enroute to Vegas aboard the DiMera enterprises jet. He didn't want her to be alone with Brady when he found out the news about victor and wasn't about to wait for her permission, not this time. Of course there was nothing at the moment which tied Nicole to Victor's arrest, but he was afraid somewhere along the line Nicole may decide to confess in attempt to set things right with Brady and that would be a huge mistake. He wasn't so sure as Nicole that Brady would never hurt her and he sure as hell wasn't going to take the chance of trusting her intuitions on this occasion. At least he knew she was OK when he left. Just before the jet took off, he had spoken with Brandon who assured him she seemed just fine during the phone conversation which took place immediately before theirs, although he didn't like hearing the bit how she had abruptly ended the call. It was probably nothing, but he wouldn't be able to stop worrying until she was safe in his arms. Unfortunately, he would soon find when he arrived, she was already gone. 


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Las Vegas

Same Day

Nicole was awoken by the sensation of a forceful amount of air invading both her mouth and nasal passages. For a moment it seemed overwhelming until she realized how little effort was needed from her own, aching body to breathe. Her head, neck, chest, and stomach all felt as if she had just been stoned by some angry mob. Shit, maybe she had been because she sure as hell couldn't imagine what else was capable of making her feel this way. Her eyes fluttered open to investigate and the first thing she saw was the plastic mask covering her mouth and nose. The hand resting on top of her stomach had an IV needle inserted into it and as she attempted to crane her neck to trace the tubing attached to it's source, she whimpered in reaction to the pain in her neck caused by the movement. It was then that she began to recall the horrible ordeal she had suffered hours ago.

Brady. He'd attacked her without any warning whatsoever. It had all happened so fast she could hardly recall any of the finer details aside from thinking that both she and the baby were going to die. The baby! Her hand reached out in search of the call button she was sure was around somewhere, only to discover seconds into her search that it had already been placed in her hand for her convenience. Her thumb mashed the red button repeatedly and when a respnse didn't come quickly enough, she ignored the pain in her body and pulled herself to a sitting position on the edge of the bed, ripping the mask from her face.

"Please, I need somebody in here now," she shouted as she pressed the intercom button for the nurse's station imbedded into the electronically-equipped bed rail, but her help had already arrived as she was making her desperate plea.

"Oh, Mrs. Black, you need to get back in bed, sweetheart. Just-"

"NO! I need to know about my children," she insisted, inching away from the kindly nurse's aiding arms.

"Your son is fine, Mrs. Black. He's with his grandmother Marlena in one of the nearby hotels."

Nicole nodded understandingly, happy to hear that he was ok though none too pleased with the identity of his current guardian. Then again, she should be grateful that at least it wasn't Brady he was with. "And what about my baby? I'm pregnant, please tell me my baby is ok."

Nicole watched in horror as the nurse's eyes became glassy. "Sweetheart, I really need you to get back in bed, ok? The doctor is on his way to evaluate-"

"No, please," she begged as the nurse's gentle but firm arm began to guide her unwilling body back to the reclining position. "I don't know if you saw in the tests, but I'm pregnant and I need to know if my baby is alright!"

She was growing increasingly hysterical now for she had already seen her answer in the nurse's reaction, and as much as she tried to convince herself that the nurse simply was confused and had no idea what she was talking about, she knew better. It was only a matter of hearing a verbal confirmation now.

"Sweetie, if you get back in bed for me I promise I will tell you everything you want to know, but you need to do that for me first, ok?"

Nicole nodded as she helplessly sunk back into the bed. She simply didn't have the will nor strength to fight anymore now that she already knew the fate of the child that she would never get to hold. In her attempt to sit up, she had felt the blood draining from her womb although she had chosen to simply not acknowledge it at the time.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," the nurse said as she softly stroked Nicole's hair. "I'm afraid the little one is gone." 


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Las Vegas

Same Day

"What do you mean 'she's gone," EJ seethed as he leaned in intimidatingly close to the two, pale-faced henchman he'd assigned to keep an eye on Nicole.

"I wish I could explain, sir, but my hand to God, we never saw them leave. I did just like you said and schmoozed up one of the maids to deliver the note to Nicole, but she came back a few minutes later and explained that the people staying in the penthouse suite had already checked out."

"Then I hacked into their system and saw that it was true, sir," his buddy explained, coming to his co-worker's defense. "Last thing we saw was Brady go upstairs with the baby."

EJ shook his head in frustration. "And what about Nicole? When was the last time you saw her?"

"This morning. Brady left on his own with the baby, then a few minutes after he was gone she stepped out and went down the block to the pharmacy. She couldn't have been out more than ten minutes then came back and went upstairs. Sir, I promise you, we never left our posts for a second. If they left the way they came, we would have seen them."

"Oh, so I suppose they just went out the window this time, is that what happened?"

"No Sir,-"

"Then I suggest you keep digging until you come up with a suitable explanation for what happened to my wi-, Nicole." He had almost called her his wife. It made perfect sense to him since she he hadn't thought of her since anything but since the first day they were married, but to try explaining that to two completely incompetent goons was nothing but a waste of time.

Moving on to do some investigating of his own, he went to the desk to pick up a key for the room he'd rented for Nicole and couldn't help but notice the strange reaction from the clerk as she handed back the matching credit card used to make the reservation.

"Did you get a chance to meet Miss Carrington" he inquired when his instincts told him that the girl had likely interacted with Nicole at some point. "Or did you know her as Miss Walker-slash-Mrs. Black instead," he finished, giving the girl a playful wink which seemed to do the trick of putting her more at ease.

"Yes, yes, I did. Um, I don't know how to tell you this, sir, but if you're looking for Mrs. Black, she's gone."

"I was afraid of that," he said with a disappointed frown. "You see, that's my problem. I'm looking for her and I can't find her which has me worried. Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"

"Give me one second," she said, holding up a finger before stepping away to quickly converse with a person appearing to be a supervisor of some sort. "Follow me, sir. I can show you which set of elevators you'll want to take" she beckoned politely as she passed him during her exit from behind the desk, leading him several yards away and around a corner where they would be out of sight from the desk. It was here where she stopped and turned to face him.

"OK, so here's what happened. I'm afraid I don't know all the details because we're not suposed to talk about it and no one is really saying anything, but I do know that a Medi-Vac helicopter left from the rooftop this afternoon and that it was Mr. and Mrs. Black and the baby who were taken away. I'm afraid that's all I know. I don't know which one of them it was who was sick."

It was EJ who now felt like he was going to be ill. "Do you know what hospital they were taken to?"

Emily shook her head regretfully. "No, not for certain. Valley is the closest, but I can't see why they would have a helicopter come since it's only three miles down the road. I'm sorry, I-"

"It's OK, Emily, thank you. You've been a big help."

His heart was racing so hard that every vein in his body ached from from the increased pressure of the blood pumping at record speed through them, making it seem incredibly difficult to run though he somehow still managed. His first mission was still to check the room for any clues that might have been left behind, but without a moment to spare, he used his commute time to begin making frantic calls to everyone who could help. Chad, Brandon, Chloe, even George Restivo were all enlisted to start calling hospitals with each one assigned a different range either north, south, east or west, to look within, starting with those closest to the area as well as those exclusively for children in the event that it was Sawyer who was the one in need of medical attention.

Now inside the room, he made some calls of his own while he perused the location for even the slightest little clue but since there wasn't so much as a single item in a drawer or even a tissue in any of the wastebaskets, he had little proof to show Nicole had ever set foot in the room aside from the faint smell of her scent present amongst the smell of the cleaning chemicals which indicated that housekeeping had recently been there. One detail he found slightly alarming was that he couldn't find the cell he'd given her. He tried to call it hoping that the ring would reveal it's location, but he didn't even hear so much as a vibration if it had been set to silent. She would never have chosen to keep the phone on her while with Brady; it was too risky. Even if she had decided to keep it after confessing, she certainly wasn't answering it either.

There was an incoming call: Brandon.

"Hey man, I got nothin' so far. Chloe and I keep trying Brady too but he's not picking up. I even tried John and Marlena, Belle, Sami. No one is answering me. Something's going on. Fuck!"

Within the hour, after several check-ins from all his enlisted help, he still had nothing to go on. Then another phone call from Brandon.

"We may have a bit of a breakthrough. I got a call from Rafe Hernandez who was talking to John Black when he apparently got a call regarding an emergency with Brady and took off. I guess Rafe had tried contacting Nicole but when he didn't get an answer that's when he called me to see if I'd heard anything. Sounds like Brady might be the one in trouble."

Of course it was possible, but the only thing capable of putting him at ease would be hearing from Nicole herself. Until then, he would get a taste of what it was like to be in hell for there was nothing more horrifying than fearing for the life of the woman and little boy he loved and his powerlessness to help them.


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Las Vegas

Same Day

Nicole stared down at the screen of the cell phone in her hand with EJ's number displayed boldly across it, trying to build up the nerve to hit the dial button. It was a task she'd attempted several times throughout the past eight hours or so which she'd failed to execute each time after finding yet another reason to postpone it.

Initially, immediately after hearing confirmation of her miscarriage, she had demanded a phone be brought to her so she could call him. That was when Marlena showed up and tried to tell her exactly how this whole ordeal was going to be handled. The absurdity of it all was, although the story was full of holes and inconsistencies, because John Black and supposedly the ISA too were involved, you know, the 'good guys,' no one had questioned a word of it. She had been admitted under a pseudonym and to the hospital staff's knowledge, her injuries had been from an unknown attacker, and the ISA was already handling it. It had been explained that Brady had come back to their suite after his outing with his friend to find her laying unresponsive on the floor. Since they already had a nurse under their employ nearby, she was the first responder until the helicopter arrived to transport her to the hospital.

It was hilarious to think a helicopter was used to transport her to a hospital that was only a few blocks away, but those were the lengths John Black would go to to protect his precious, innocent son. If Brady had done the right thing and immediately called 911 after the attack, she could have been at the hospital half an hour sooner, at least. Instead, he called daddy to help him fix his little problem and she couldn't help but wonder if the fate of the baby had been decided sometime within that half hour window. Worst of all, through her discussions with Marlena, it was revealed that Brady had known she was pregnant since he'd explained it was learning this which set him off. She didn't care how much Marlena pleaded for her to believe Brady was remorseful for his actions. The fact that he knew her condition changed everything. She might have been able to forgive him for attacking her like that. Lord knows she'd been so angry with EJ at times that she had wanted to strangle him but her otherwise uninfluenced, clear-thinking brain had prevented her from committing the act. Even now, when she never felt a stronger urge to inflict harm on another person, she knew she would be incapable of actually doing it. EJ on the other hand wouldn't think twice if he knew what Brady had done, and that was what drove her to reconsider immediately making the call. At least she couldn't until she was able to figure out exactly what she was going to tell him. One thing for sure was, whatever it was, it couldn't be the truth.

She didn't want to lie to EJ. It was something she had sworn she would never do again but, in this case, it was necessary. She had to protect him from, well, himself, basically. If he knew what Brady had done, there would be no reasoning with him. EJ would fly off the handle and go after Brady without even considering a course of attack. There would be no plotting to carry out Brady's demise where it could never be linked to him. He would find Brady wherever he was and kill him right there and then, in broad daylight if the case may be, with no regard to whether there were witnesses or not. There would be no way of simply purchasing his freedom this time. Charges of kidnapping that were a bit fuzzy to begin with was a whole other ballgame when compared to a murder charge, and when the victim would be the son of the sainted John Black, not even a DiMera could maneuver their way out of that one.

She had other reasons for wanting to keep her secret as well. Three of them, to be exact, and their names were Belle, Alexander, and Sawyer. Her two eldest children had already been through enough and even though she wouldn't dream of filling them in on what happened, if she'd decided to share the traumatic experience with EJ and others, there would always be that disturbance indicating something terrible had taken place hovering in the air that her two, very observant children were sure to detect. She could protect them from the truth for a while, but one day she would have to explain and hopefully, she would have that opportunity herself before someone else decided for her that it was time they knew the truth. The one who needed the most protecting however was Sawyer. Of course he would never remember what happened, but if she shared her story, one day he would learn what his father had done to her, and it would haunt him his entire life. She knew better than most what it was like to struggle with the sins your own father committed and she didn't want her son to suffer through the same, decades-long, healing process she'd had to endure. As it stood now, the only people who knew were just as desperate to protect her secret as she was. Well, except for the one who was only doing so per her request.

Mary Kelly had not so much as raised an eyebrow when she had confessed to the kindly nurse the truth. She was truly touched by her caretaker's compassion over the loss of her baby that, within an hour's time, she had shared pretty much her entire life story with the woman as she cried in her arms. Mary had tried to convince her to reach out beyond the ISA and bring Brady to justice, but she'd managed to persuade the nurse into seeing things her way and, in doing so, secured herself her plan-B, if needed. If Brady and his clan didn't do exactly as she wished, she had a witness to back her up story when she exposed them all, but she was really counting on never having to resort to plan B. It was more of a scare tactic than anything, and one that was pretty damn-well, near-guaranteed to work. While the worst way to hurt a DiMera or Kiriakis was taking away their money and power, destroying the likes of a Brady, Black, or Horton involved smearing their precious little, holier-than-thou, reputations. She had summoned Marlena back to her room after finalizing her plan and was sure that by the time she left, which was now just a few minutes ago, she had convinced her to see things her way and warned it would be in everyone's best interest to make sure John and Brady were on board. Now, the only one left to convince was EJ.

She glanced down at the phone again, which was actually Brady's, brought to her by Marlena per her demand. There was no way she could call EJ from a hospital line. With Victor's arrest, he would be worried about her and try to get in touch and she had been off the radar for several hours now. He was sure to be tracing every call in effort to locate her and if he detected even the tiniest crack in her story when they would finally speak, he'd track down her precise location using the number. Even though she would use the hospital as part of her alibi, it couldn't be that particular one although part of her almost wished she'd been careless enough to make the mistake that would lead EJ directly to her, leaving her no other choice but to come clean. But she was smarter than that because, for the love of her family, she had to be.

Her biggest challenge right now was buying herself the time she needed without EJ becoming suspicious or combing the planet looking for her. Although she actually didn't look half as bad as she feared, she couldn't go back to EJ looking like this. The bruises on her cheekbone, neck, and stomach were the worst, and would probably take a couple of weeks to completely disappear. If he were to see so much as a singular, dime-sized bruise anywhere on her body he'd be ready to assume Brady was responsible and go after him. She needed to completely heal before she could even think about going home, and now that she finally felt she had come up with a pretty solid plan, it was time to bring EJ's suffering to an end. He was probably insane with worry by now and it was this acknowledgement which enabled her to finally hit the dial button. Just as she suspected, she barely heard dial-tone before he picked up the call.

"Who is this," he demanded with upsetting desperation. He had no way of knowing the number belonged to Brady, keeping the possible identity of his caller a mystery.

"It's me, honey," she purred quietly into the phone, using every ounce of influence she had to carefully control her tone, which she would continue to do through the duration of their conversation.

"NICOLE! Oh sweetheart, thank God it's you. Where are you? Are you alright? What took you-"

"Honey, honey, I'm sorry. I am SO sorry it took me so long to call, but things have been a little hectic."

"Hectic? Hectic, how? Did he-"

"Honey, honey, please, I'm fine, ok? I am fine."

She could hear him panting heavily into the phone in attempt to catch his breath, as one typically does after being put at ease from a stressful situation.

"Darling, if you're really fine then why in bloody hell did it take you so long to call? I talked to Brandon, I know you know about Victor. I thought for sure you'd call me. Then, when I got to the Bellagio they told me the three of you left in a helicopter-"

"You went to the Bellagio? Are you in Vegas right now?"

"Yes, yes, darling I'm here, at the Bellagio, so please, tell me, where are you? Who's sick, or hurt?"

She was forced to hold the phone away from her face as she drew in a deep breath to collect her strength. She could see the gleaming lights of the Bellagio from her hospital room window, and to know that he was so close and she still couldn't see him was torture. She desperately wanted him there with her right now when she needed him more than ever, but she also needed him for more than just an hour or so, which was likely all she would get before he would be carted off to jail if he learned the truth and so, the lying began.

"It's Brady, honey. He was in a terrible state when he found out about Victor and I was afraid to leave him alone and, needless to say, calling you with him around wasn't such a hot idea either. Anyway, he went into the bathroom after he spoke to his father on the phone and, I dunno, he must've taken a massive dose of cocaine because when he came out he was so fucked up I knew I needed to call for help. Anyway, as I was trying to call out, John was calling in so I told him what was happening and he was the one who arranged for the copter to come and take him to the hospital. I went with him, of course, and on the way there, he went into cardiac arrest." She paused and relied on her acting skills to conjure up the fake tears and empathetic tone she needed to be convincing in the statements to follow. "He's stable right now but there's so much cocaine in his system that they're expecting there'll be more attacks to follow. His prognosis is not good."

"I'm sorry, darling," EJ replied soothingly. "I know you never wanted this for Brady. You care for him as a friend, and obviously as Sawyer's father, you're even more concerned. Look, just tell me where you are, I'll be right there to-"

"No, EJ, don't. You can't come."

"What? Don't be ridiculous, Nikki, we don't have to worry about Victor-"

"It's not Victor I'm worried about. Look, Brady still doesn't know about us and if he manages to pull through, I sure as hell don't want him to wake up and have everything shoved in his face like that. He's Sawyer's father. He deserves better than that."

She found herself being disgusted by the words coming out of her own mouth in Brady's defense, even if they were only necessary lies designed to protect her family. It was definitely a wrong she intended to right when she would finally come face to face with Brady and tell him exactly how she really felt about him.

"Alright, sweetheart, I guess I can understand that, but fine, I just won't make appearances at the hospital. Nobody has to know I'm there, I'll stay back at the hotel and when you leave the hospital, I'll see you then."

"I'm not leaving the hospital as long as he's here. Between Slavenka and Marlena, Sawyer is going to be well taken care of, and I'm going to stay here with Brady. I feel like I owe this to him EJ so, please, don't defy me on this, ok? It's important to me that this whole thing with Brady is handled with utmost respect, for Sawyer's sake more than anyone's. I have to make things right with Brady and I need to do it on my terms."

"I've been hearing a lot of that lately, you know, you calling the shots. I guess we know who truly wears the knickers in this family although I must say, I much prefer you in dresses, for aesthetic purposes."

She managed to emit a tiny little chuckle, but for her, it was more from relief than amusement. He was no longer giving her the third degree and was now actually almost jovial which meant that she had successfully passed his inquisition.

"So, do I take that as a promise you'll be on your best behavior?"

He let out a loud sigh, causing a crackling noise in the receiver. "What about the kids, Nikki? They're going to be so disappointed to not see you for what, a few more days? A week?"

"As long as it takes," she finished for him. "The kids are still going to be at Disney for a few more days and when they come home, they can finaly be with you. A few more days or weeks could make all the difference in the rest of Brady's life. I have to know he's OK enough to be able to put himself out there again and move on."

"You have a beautiful heart, Nikki. I sure hope Brady appreciates the sacrifices you're making on his behalf. Anyone who knows you well knows that no one or nothing comes between you and your children."

"And you," she whispered softly as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "You forgot to mention you. I love you, EJ DiMera, so don't you think for a second that you're not a part of that club. Everything I do is for you and them and no one else, and don't you ever forget that."

"I love you too, sweetheart," his wavering voice replied, obviously affected by her heartfelt proclomation of love. "Please, just come home as soon as you possibly can because I can hardly wait to show you just how much."

"I will, I promise, and until then, you and the kids can call me on this phone anytime."

"Wonderful. I'll be looking forward to some Facetime until then. How about a little quickie for now?"

Nicole couldn't have been more relieved she never managed talking Brady into getting an iphone. "Shoot, honey, this isn't an iphone. I'm afraid you'll have to settle for my voice for now. Listen, I have to go. John's here giving me the look. I'll call you back later, ok?"

It was there that she ended the call without waiting for his goodbye, but she was far from finished with their conversation. She began to cry again, hard, and with her arms folded comfortingly across her stomach to soothe the painful emptiness left inside, she told him the true version of the story, including the brief moments she'd shared with their little one who'd gone to heaven.


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Chicago

Three Days Later

Nicole sat on a bench beneath a large oak tree, gently rocking a sleeping Sawyer in her arms, on the park-like grounds of the New Beginnings Drug Rehabilitation Center. It was the treatment facility John Black had swiftly and secretly smuggled Brady away to after learning his son had succumbed to his addiction once again. Of course that was really the only part of the story which made it back to the rest of Brady's family, which worked just fine for her, only her reasons for wanting to keep the incident a secret was not to spare the members of the Black/Kiriakis families from embarrassment like the intent of the others involved. It was simply all she could do to keep EJ from killing Brady. As satisfying as the idea of it may have seemed, the reality of such an event taking place would be anything but. EJ would go to jail, and Sawyer would have to face both dealing with his father's death at the hands of his step-father, and learning the details of the horrific attack on his mother which prompted it. As much as she hated Brady for what he'd done, and dreamed about choking the life from him like the one he'd taken from her, the consequences of the eye-for-eye justice she fantasized about made it not worth the effort. Besides, there was also something very satisfying about Brady having to live with what he'd done for the rest of his life. That's why she had come to see him today, even though all she really wanted to do was remain in her hotel room, curled up into a ball under the covers of her bed. She was a wreck because of him, both physically and emotionally, and he needed to see what he was responsible for, not be coddled and shielded from the truth again, like his parents and Victor had done for him him throughout his entire life. The oversized, Jackie-O style sunglasses and the long, sheer, blue and white, floral-patterened, scarf wrapped around her neck helped obscure her bruises from the public eye for now, but she would soon remove the disguise for Brady's benefit when he would join her.

John and Marlena had tried to stop her from coming, but when she insisted, threatening exposure once again if they didn't comply with her wishes, they had no choice but to humor her. Since her return from Australia, she had become an international celebrity. Even after wrapping what was supposedly the end of her story, the public was still thirsty for more and anything she might have to say was sure to become breaking news across the globe. John Black was smart enough to know that he and the ISA couldn't compete with the media attention she would draw and in their efforts to confirm her story, even their best kept secrets were at the risk of exposure at the hands of the press. For this round, the score was Nicole Walker, 1, Good Guys, zip.

It was hard to feel like a winner though after suffering such a terrible loss. Her only consolation was knowing that if she had to do it all over again, she wouldn't change a thing. She couldn't change a thing; every single move she had made had been carefully weighed and considered and performed only out of sheer necessity. This wasn't like her other hair-brained schemes of the past which usually involved her either financially benefitting from her wicked ploys or using them to cover her tracks after she'd gone off her rocker and done something incredibly stupid and impulsive. Her motives this time were far from being foolish or self-centered, unless one considered a mother's love for her children and the man she loved as being frivolous or selfish.

It was a notion she had considered though. For a good part of the last three days, she had blamed herself for the fate of the baby. It was God's way of punishing her for deceiving Brady; that's what she had actually told herself and accepted as truth for a short period of time before finally coming to her senses and recalling the valuable life-lessons it had taken her twenty-some years to finally grasp: No one person could be held responsible for the actions of another. No one deserved to be abused in any way and, certainly, no one deserved to feel the unbearable pain of losing a child. No one.

But people did need to pay for their actions when victimizing someone was part of the intent. She may have deceived Brady, but she never wanted to hurt him. Never. Her one mistake had been assuming he felt the same. At the time of the attack, she had no idea he knew about EJ, or that she was pregnant. She hadn't been able to comprehend the terrible things he'd said to her when her focus was set only on survival as she desperately tried to pry his hands from the deathly-grip they had on her neck. However, his terrifying, angry words had not gone unheard and she had waken up from her sleep several times throughout each night since, gasping for air and crying out in anguish in response to his threats.

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, YOU FUCKING WHORE! YOU'VE BEEN LYING TO ME THIS WHOLE TIME, YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU WON'T SLEEP WITH ME BUT YOU WENT AND SLEPT WITH HIM AND GOT YOURSELF KNOCKED-UP, DIDN'T YA? THE LAST THING THIS WORLD NEEDS IS ANOTHER FUCKIN' DIMERA BASTARD!"

And that was the moment when his knee went grinding into her stomach. She could blame the coke for his inability to control his anger and a lot of other things, but not for his feelings or intent, made clear by the gesture. At the time of the attack, he'd meant to harm the baby, or at the very least didn't care if he did, and regardless of how much coke was in his system at the time blurring the lines between right and wrong, no quantity of the substance was capable of producing feelings which hadn't already manifested. In those last couple of minutes before he strangled her unconscious, she had seen Brady Black for who he really was, and she could hardly wait to share her candid assessment with him.

When he emerged from the building and spotted her on the bench, his entire facial expression changed so drastically it was easy to detect it was merely a facade and she couldn't help but wonder now how she could have been so blind when it came to Brady all these years. After all, she was a master of disguise herself and, as they say, it takes one to know one. But Brady had one trick up his sleeve that she'd never had the audacity to try and pull off: she never attempted to create the illusion that she was some pillar of society to use as a smokescreen for her wrongdoings. With her, it was what you see is what you get: she'd be the first to admit that she'd do whatever it took to get what she wanted and if one was fool enough to believe that they were exempt from being played if it served her purpose, then shame on them. Brady on the other hand used his skills on his allies, letting them perform all the dirty work necessary to get what he wanted while he got to play the role of the 'good guy.' It was so obvious now she wanted to scream on account of her own stupidity.

The closer he got to them, the tighter she held onto her baby boy. She was only doing this for Sawyer; becoming a mother had forced her to do a lot of things quite differently than she would have handled them before. Of course in her own mind, the best thing for her son was to get him as far away from his father as possible, and she would, she had to, at least for now. Brady was not fit to play the role of dad in any way, shape or form but, for Sawyer's sake, she was about to bestow a gift that in her own eyes he certainly didn't deserve: a one-shot chance at redemption if he could prove himself worthy.

"Nic," he began, his face twitching with all kinds of emotions that were absent in his eyes.

"Don't come any closer," she warned when he approached an approximate three-foot range, which was still a bit too close for comfort for her liking. "This isn't going to take long. Just the sight of you is already making me sick to my stomach."

"Yeah, well the feeling is mutual, sweetheart."

The icy tone in his voice made her want to just get up and run in the opposite direction but his chilly tone seemed to have a debilitating effect on her entire body which prevented her from doing so. She even felt legit goosebumps rising up on her arms in response.

"Yeah, well you already made it perfectly clear how you feel about me when you tried to kill me."

"Oh, Nic, JESUS CHRIST, I DIDN'T TRY TO KILL YOU!"

He was agitated now, flailing his arms in anger and frustration in response to the unheard of accusation.

"Oh really? Then how do you explain this," she said as she yanked the sunglasses from her face and the scarf around from around her neck, exposing the ugly, dark-purple bruises they had been concealing.

"Oh, come on, you know that wasn't ME! I was outta my mind, Nic, and the drugs-"

"It's always something or someone else with you though, isn't it? Oh, that wasn't me, I'm Brady Black, I would NEVER do such a thing. It was drugs! It was my granddad! My father made me do it!"

Brady shook his head in disgust. "Sounds like you're the one deflecting here if you ask me. None of this would've happened if you hadn't lied to me!"

"Ah, I see, so, I merely got what I deserved, is that what you're saying? And my baby? I suppose the baby just got what he or she deserved too?"

She was trying so hard to keep her emotions at bay, but when she saw no signs of the remorse which had supposedly been eating him alive according to John and Marlena, she lost her battle with self-control and the angry tears began to fall.

"IT WAS THE COCAINE! I didn't mean to hurt you or-"

"Bullshit," she replied, breathing as much fire as she could into the hushed response designed to not disturb Sawyer from his sleep. "Yes you did. You knew I was pregnant, you piece-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, I'm a piece of shit, is that what you were gonna to say? What about the woman who cheats on her fiance, and gets herself knocked up by a man she supposedly hates? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU CALL THAT?"

"You wanna know what you call that? Desperation," she managed to choke out her answer before her sobbing began to take control.

"Here we go. Now she's playing the victim."

If it hadn't been for the four, precious people in her life who were so dependent on her, she might have lunged at him and tried to strangle Brady to death herself after that remark. It was a text book abuser tactic to try and make the victim feel like her accusations were unfounded. She wasn't trying to deny she had done Brady wrong; she just wanted him to step up and accept responsibility for his own actions. That was it. If she could get that much out of him then she was willing to give him that chance at redemption, but as it stood now, it was looking more and more like this would be the last time he would ever see his son as long as she had anything to do with it.

"I only did what I had to do, Brady. I never wanted to hurt you, truly." At this point, she came clean and explained her every move and intention behind it. Up until a few days ago, she had been under the impression that he would somehow understand. Now, as his disbelieving eyes bore hatefully into her, she knew she had grossly misjudged her impression of him dating as far back as day one. She was pretty sure now that the only person Brady Black had ever truly loved was himself.

"So what now? You think now that Victor is out of the picture, that means you have my son all to yourself? "

Nicole shook her head frustratedly. "That's never what I intended."

"Oh really? So at what point were you planning on telling me about him before Kristen found you?"

"My situation was different then. I had to protect Belle and Alex from that psycho."

"So, in other words, never, right?"

"If that's what would have been necessary, then yes."

"You are really fucking unbelievable, woman."

"What's so unbelievable? That I would do whatever it takes to protect my children? Wouldn't you do the same for Sawyer?"

Brady's expression softened at the mention of his son. "Of course I would, which is why when I get out of here, I'm going to take him as far away from you and that prick as possible. There's no way in hell I'm gonna let my son be raised by a DiMera."

"Well, you should have thought of that before you decided to attack me because now, shared custody is off the table. There is no way in hell I'm letting you anywhere near our son until you learn to grow the fuck up and be the father that he deserves."

Brady began to laugh maniacally. "You act as if you'll actually have a say in the matter. I'm not asking your permission, I'm telling you that when I get out of here, I'm taking MY son."

"No, you're not," she replied firmly and calmly and completely unaffected by his threats. "I'm warning you right now, if you dare even try, the entire world will know what you did to me. I realize you don't seem to think it's a big deal, but there are laws that protect babies in utero, you know. But as much as I'd love to see you pay for what you did, I don't want our son growing up knowing his father murdered his little brother or sister, do you?"

"Where the hell do you get off calling me a murderer? It was an accident, Nicole, that's all!"

"I'm sure that's what you want to believe. I know it's what I want to believe, but you and I both know how things really happened."

"JESUS CHRIST, NIC! I was so coked up I couldn't control myself. I-"

"Fine! And you know what? As long as you play by my rules, that's all our son will ever know about why he can't see his dad. So which is it Brady? Do you want your son to know you as a murderer, or just a good guy with a bad drug addiction. The choice is yours."

It was then that Nicole saw something in Brady which gave her some hope. He began to cry, honest-to-God, genuine tears.

"You can't take him from me. I love my son."

"I love him to, which is why, right now, I have no choice. Until you can learn to put his needs before your own, you're not fit to babysit for fifteen minutes. I guess what happens a little further down the road is up to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you can get clean and grow the fuck up for once, maybe you can have the relationship you want with your son, but you need to earn it, Brady. If you think you're entitled to a relationship with him just because you're biologically his father, you should know you're barking up the wrong tree with me. My dad was a piece of shit and he fucked me up pretty good for a big chunk of my life so I will not subject my little boy to any sort of dysfunctional crap just because your name is on his birth certificate. Do I make myself clear?"

"You're actually agreeing to let me see my son? After everything that's happened?"

It took every ounce of selflessness she had in her to perform her next move. With a subtle gesture, she prompted Brady to come and take his sleeping son from her arms.

"As long as my conditions are met, yes. You seem shocked."

"I just can't believe you would do that for me, after everything I've done."

It wasn't exactly an apology, but Nicole believed she got the closest thing to it he could manage for now. Not that an apology really mattered at all to her; she could never forgive him for what he'd done even if he were to apologize on his knees every single day for the rest of his life, but she did need to see signs of acceptance of his actions and remorse if she were to let the relationship between father and son progress.

"I'm not doing this for you," she was quick to correct. "I'm doing this for our son and I'm doing this for EJ."

Brady wrinkled his nose at the mention of his long-time adversary's name. "We were doing so good. Why the hell did you have to bring him into it?"

"Because you need to know the real reasons why I'm letting you off the hook. Of course Sawyer is the main reason but, I'm not sugar-coating anything for you. There's a big part of me that would love to see you pay. Me? I'd be satisfied with you going to prison for what you did. In my fantasy-version, I just keep strangling you unconscious a few times before I actually kill you, just so you can wake up at least once and experience what it was like to almost die before I actually do the deed. But that's me, and I have so much more self-control than EJ who would have no qualms about killing you. As much as I'd enjoy watching him tear you from limb to limb, I don't want to have to rescue him from prison again. You dig?"

She couldn't help the satisfaction she received from watching his neck grow tense and the color drain from his face until it was a ghostly shade of white.

"Yeah, I dig."

Brady Black swore from that day forward he was going to become a new man. Unfortunately for him, there remained an unknown witness with knowledge of the events which took place who wouldn't be as convinced as Nicole that he deserved the chance to prove it.


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Chicago

Same Day

"Alright Cookie Monster," Nicole began as she lifted Sawyer from his stroller once they were safe back inside their hotel room. "GUess what time it is?"

Her little boy began to shriek with excitement, mimicking her own, gleeful tone.

"Yup, that's right! It's time to call EJ."

She hadn't seen the figure sitting quietly in the corner of the room, perched in a chair beside the small, round bistro table, patiently waiting for her arrival until he spoke.

"Would that be EJ DiMera, love?"

She instinctively yelped out in fright and tightened her grip around Sawyer. When she finally came to her senses and identified the intruder, she began conjuring up a quick exit strategy though apparently her visitor was already one step ahead of her as he now made his way toward the only exit which was not more than fifty feet off the ground, and positioned himself as guard.

"What are you doing here, Xander," she replied, taking several steps in the opposite direction toward the window.

"Well, initially the plan was to come and claim my prize but somehow I get the impression that was never really part of your plan now, was it?"

"Xander, please. I can't do this with you right now. I-"

"Alright, Nicole, just stop," he said with a gentle firmness as he began to approach her. "Look, I'm not here to give you a hard time. I'm here because I'm worried about you and I just wanted to know that you're going to be alright."

Still hidden behind the disguise she'd reapplied for the trip back to the hotel, she attempted to play dumb. "Yes, of course, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? I mean, we won, right?"

Xander forced the best he could do for a smile. "Yes, you won, Nicole, but you're not really fine now, are you?"

"Yes, I am-"

"I know all about what that son-of-a-bitch Brady did to you. I'm just sorry I didn't know what had happened until it was too late."

Nicole found her way to the bed and lowered herself onto it, relieving her trembling legs of the difficult task of keeping her on her feet. This was not good, not at all. Just when she had thought all parties had been neutralized and her secret would remain safe, Xander just had to show up and play the wild card at a time when she had nothing left in her own hand to play, at least as far as Xander was concerned. Question was, how much did he really know?

"I'm not your responsibility, Xander. There was nothing you could have done."

"Well, I beg to differ, love," he said softly as he took a seat beside her and carefully removed the sunglasses from her face. With Sawyer still snuggled in her arms, she was helpless to stop both the unwanted exposure, and the hand which reached out to caress her bruised cheek.

"Xander, please...don't."

It was all the instruction needed for him to remove his hand. "I'm sorry. I just...I can't stand the thought of what he did to you and that I wasn't there to help. I tried to look after you but it's not easy to find good help these days, you know?"

"You were watching me?"

He shot her a disbelieving look which all but said, 'duh.' "Did you really think I wouldn't be keeping tabs on my prize? Frankly, I'm hurt that you think so little of me, Nicole Walker."

She was amazed that Xander Cook had actually managed to elicit from her a smile. More astounding still, she no longer felt intimidated by his presence, even now under the impression that he likely knew more than she initially imagined, but how much more, and for how long?

"Look, there's something you should know."

"Let me guess. There's no happily-ever-after for you and me and you're in love with EJ DiMera. Do I get a prize for getting it right on the first shot?"

Nicole began shaking her head with regretfulness. "I'm sorry, Xander. I-"

"Shhhh," he said, drawing a finger to his own lips to request her silence, refraining from using his preferred technique in respect to her wishes. When she complied, he took the stage and selflessly relieved her of what would be a difficult explanation. It was the least he could do.

"I'll be honest, when I found out you were going back to him I was not a happy camper. I was fully prepared to at least give you a hard time about it before sending you on your way, but I can't do that to you now. Lord knows you're suffering enough over your loss."

Nicole squeezed her eyes shut tightly as if that would somehow prevent the tears from falling, but it was no use. "How do you know?"

"My people caught wind that you'd been taken to the hospital. I couldn't find out much while you were there, but after you left, I convinced someone to talk to me. She was a lovely lady, and rather fond of you I might say. She was very reluctant to spill your secret but I managed to convince her it was in everyone's best interest to do so."

Her brief moment of fondness for her former partner-in-crime suddenly came to an abrupt ending. "What did you do to her?"

"What do you mean, 'what did I do to her?' Nothing. Absolutely nothing! I can assure you Mary Kelly is safe and snug back in her bed, or at work, whatever the case may be. I had no reason to harm her." Especially considering the fact she might come in very handy one day, he noted silently, to himself.

"Xander, please," Nicole began as she peered into his eyes with desperation that tugged mercilessly on his heart strings. "You have to promise me you won't ever tell anyone about this. Please. IF EJ found out what Brady did, he would kill him and then, I would lose him for good. If you care about me at all like you say you do-"

"Nicole. I promise you, I'm not going to tell anyone."

She slowly began to nod understandingly. "OK. So what is it? I suppose there's a price that comes with your silence, right?"

"There is," he responded matter-of-factly as he dared to reach out to her once more, this time merely placing a gentle hand upon her shoulder . "There is just one thing I want you to do for me and as long as you continue to fulfill my one request, I will honor my vow of silence."

"And what if I can't comply with your request?"

Xander frowned. "Then that would make me very sad because the only thing I want from you, Nicole Walker, is for you to be happy."

She remained speechless as he leaned in and placed an innocent peck to her forehead before heading for the door without any further comment. Part of her longed to call out to him and express her wishes for him to do the same, but her much wiser voice of reason prevented her from making such a mistake. Xander had accepted his defeat and gracefully bowed out of the competition on his own accord. If she were to express any sign of regret or reconsideration, it could start a whole new ballgame that she didn't have the desire nor energy to play.

Was it really that easy though? Would she really not have to worry about Xander exposing her secret, just because he promised? Considering all the promises she'd made and broken to various different folks, including him, over the course of the last few months, she wasn't feeling very confident, but what could she do? Of course she could always propose simply removing him from the situation to EJ. All she would have to do is hint that he threatened her in some kind of way and he would no longer be a concern, but she didn't want to do that if it wasn't necessary. Once upon a time she would have totally fallen for a guy like Xander, before her knight, her Prince Charming, her everything, her EJ, came into the picture. Xander was like EJ in a lot of ways which was why it seemed such an injustice to rob the rest of the female population of such a rare specimen in high demand. Still, she wouldn't hesitate to do so if he were to break his word and threaten her family's happiness.

Clicking the door shut behind him, Xander slumped back against it, struggling to refrain from punching it out of frustration. For the first time in his life, he was experiencing first-hand the infuriating absurdity of doing the right thing. It surely didn't benefit him in any way and he sure as hell didn't experience the euphoria all the Good Samartains promised one would feel as a reward for their acts of selflessness. A more accurate description of how he felt was to imagine his heart was trapped in a vice with Nicole being the one cranking the gear which drove together the two metal slabs surrounding it, leading to his eventual demise after the deliberate, slow and painful torture.

But Nicole had been tortured far worse than even his own unbearable suffering. It all made sense when he put the pieces together. She had been doing nothing more than protecting her family and it was this obvious love for her children that had been one of the things which drew him to her in the first place. He had given up on the idea of having a family of his own long ago, mainly because he'd become so disillusioned by the whole family thing altogether thanks to the many dysfunctional relationships right within his own. He could barely even remember a time when his parents had been happy together. By the time he was five, they had divorced and ever since played an endless game of tug-of-war with each other, using himself as the rope. Before he even fully realized the sacrifices Nicole had made for her kids, he saw and admired her for the devoted, and completely selfless, mother she was and soon after, old dreams of having the kind of family he always wanted began to revisit him on a nightly basis. Of course no family was complete without a beautiful, intelligent, and loyal wife and in his dreams, that role was played by none other than Nicole Walker.

But almost as quickly as it had returned, the dream was squashed when he learned EJ DiMera was still in the picture. For a brief moment, jealousy and rage nearly got the best of him and he'd considered calling the entire deal off. Despite what he had told Nicole to keep her at ease, he had seen the video of her and EJ, long before carrying out his promise to aid her in her quest. Of course there was still plenty of reward for him in bringing Victor to his knees alone, but for a moment he had seriously considered doing an about face just to stick it to her and make clear how much her betrayal had hurt him. But then her life would still be at risk at the hands of Uncle Victor and, worse yet, even if she managed to keep evading Victor's strikes, she would be forced to continue the charade which was making her life completely miserable and he wouldn't be able to live with himself for allowing it to happen. He loved this woman. He wasn't quite sure how that was possible but there clearly were no other words to describe how he felt.

And this was why he would keep her secret, at least for now. As long as she was happy, he imagined he could live with it. If he were to see any evidence that there was trouble in DiMera paradise however, all bets would be off. Of course she still would be none-too-thrilled if he spilled her secret, but the beauty of it was that he had only promised her that HE wouldn't tell anyone. Lucky for him he had a nice old lady by the name of Mary Kelly up his sleeve who would be more than willing to share her story, with a little prompting of course, when necessary, and when she did, EJ DiMera would be down for the count once again and Brady Black would finally get what was coming to him, all accomplished without himself barely having to lift a finger.

He finally managed to pry himself away from the door, content with his decision for now. After all, given Nicole and EJ's rather tumultuous history, he was nearly guaranteed a chance to swoop in and make his move and, in all probability, he might not have to wait too long. They were sure to implode on their own at some point or another, but just to be certain, it never hurt to have a back-up plan, just in case. With this in mind, he decided it was high time to get back to his new home in Salem and introduce himself to the infamous Sami Brady. 


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Chicago

Two Weeks Later

Nicole laid on her side on top of the hotel room bed with Sawyer sitting upright, on his own, at shoulder-level. Staged in front of the two of them was her laptop which she would soon use to make her daily Skype session with EJ and the kids back home as she'd done for the past week or so, as soon as she discovered she could successfully conceal with makeup what remained of her bruises. Unfortunately it was a trick that would only work on-camera, forcing her to wait out the rest of the healing process in Chicago. This evening however, although she did indeed perform her usual makeup ritual for the day, it was no longer a necessary step to hide her injuries. This morning, after failing to detect any remaining evidence of the attack, she knew she would finally be able to confirm with EJ and the kids the news they'd been longing to hear. First thing tomorrow morning, she and Sawyer would be heading home.

Before she could make the call however, she had to take one final look at the video she had recorded earlier just to make sure that it was ready to be televised on this evening's news. Being that Titan TV was now under new ownership by some company called DiMera Enterprises, it had been suggested to Miles by the new reign that he should do whatever it took to get the news team's star reporter back on board. Initially, Miles had merely called to warn her that EJ was trying to get close to her, but when she explained to him in detail the astonishing truth that EJ had been the only one all along, and the hoops she'd had to jump through to secure his freedom, and her son's from Victor, he could hardly contain his excitement for her to get the real story out there. She had been preparing the material for the piece for over a week now and just a few minutes ago wrapped filming the segment shot simply with her laptop while sitting at her hotel room desk.

Ever since her departure from Titan TV, the station had been bombarded daily with phone calls from angry viewers who demanded to learn why she had been let go. On social media platforms, users speculated that she had decided to keep a low profile following the evil EJ DiMera's release from prison as a safety precaution and soon, that had become the general, world-wide consensus. When word got out that Belle and Alex had returned home from Disneyworld and were now staying with EJ at the DiMera mansion, and she was still MIA from Salem, that speculation turned into a mass-hysteria that something terrible had happened to her, prompting her to keep a strong presence in her facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Periscope usage to assure everyone she was OK and prevent EJ from being hunted down and burned at the stake. For well over a week now, one could not turn on the TV, pick up a newspaper, or go through their facebook feed without seeing some sort of story surrounding the mystery of her complacency with her children being with their father. She didn't say much except to promise that all would be explained very soon and now, as of this morning via announcements made on facebook and Twitter, the world knew that explanation would be delivered on this evening's news, and exclusively on DiMera TV where she would soon be returning to work on a permanent basis; a revelation which only further confused the general public and drove them into a state of restless anticipation of the upcoming story.

"Alright, Cookie. Here goes nothin'," she said to Sawyer, rubbing his little peach-fuzzed head before tapping the center of the laptop screen which would prompt the video in queue to play. Once her spitting image, outfit and all, was displayed on the screen, her totally adorbs little boy kept looking back and forth between her computer image and in-the-flesh person, in awe.

_This is Nicole Walker, coming to you with an exclusive story you will only see here on DiMera TV. I know, seems strange, right? The very woman who has warned you all about the DiMera family and their evil ways for the past few months is now back, working full-time at this station, now owned by them, and I can assure you, contrary to popular belief at this time, I am doing so out of my own, free will._

_Tonight, I come to you with a very special report. Well, let's call it what it really is, shall we? What I really have to deliver to you all tonight is an apology. You see, up until this evening, I'm afraid I really haven't been doing my job, which is outlined as providing you all with the facts. The only fact I can state right now is that very little of what I have told you over the past few months has been true. My hope this evening is that after my explanation, you will all understand why this dishonesty was necessary._

_Let me begin by reiterating what stands true. I have two, beautiful children with EJ DiMera who were kidnapped from us at birth by the late Stefano DiMera._ At this point, the camera faded from her to begin showing a slideshow of pictures taken of Belle and Alexander while in Australia. _What his true intentions for our children were we may never know but, I do know that if it wasn't for EJ, I would never know that they had never left this earth._

_I guess it could be said that when I was presumed dead in London, what really happened is that EJ kidnapped me. He WAS responsible for staging my death and, at first, I WAS taken away by force. I know it all seems very traumatic and foreboding, but consider this: How would you react to seeing your ex-husband who you thought was dead? Now, pile on top of that the fact that he has all of about two minutes to explain how that is even possible AND convince you that the two babies you thought you had lost were really still alive, because he and your supposedly deceased children are being hunted down by his twisted psychopath of a sister who will stop at nothing to get them back because they are worth billions that she intends to get her hands on, thanks to Stefano DiMera leaving them everything in his will. Now try giving her the ultimatum that if she wants a life with her children, she has to give up everything and take on a new identity, just so her children will be safe from Kristen DiMera and live a normal life with the parents they had been denied of. OK, so, right here, I'm going to go out on a limb and say I know what most of you are probably thinking; run. Call the police. Call the FBI, the ISA and report a crime had taken place. Bring those responsible for kidnapping your children to justice and rely on law enforcement to do it's duty and protect the innocent. Ironically, what I've been doing for the last few months is protecting my family, EJ included, from the damage done by none other than the ISA itself._

_EJ DiMera should never have gone to prison for what he'd done. Once I learned the truth about what happened to our children, I was a willing participant one hundred percent of the way. Because of my familiarity with the less-desirable members of the DiMera family, I knew EJ's suggested course of action to protect our children from Kristen DiMera was a necessary one and the proof of that is in the pudding, as they say, when she eventually caught up to us in Australia and tried to take our children away from us again, willing to kill her own brother and myself in the process if necessary. I suppose I owe some thanks to the ISA here. Their timing couldn't have been better and they did save all of our lives physically and subsequently brought Kristen DiMera to justice, but my gratitude ends there. In their over-zealousness to make anyone bearing the last name of DiMera pay, they preyed on a man who was as much of a victim in this crime as our children and myself._

_The ISA wanted EJ to go to prison, and admittedly for other alleged wrong-doings independent of this case. There were certain infringements committed that he could be justifiably charged with: fraud, living under an assumed name; in fact, these were things that we both could have been charged with. Problem was, those charges were comparatively minor and neither one of those infractions would put EJ away behind bars long enough for their liking. It would take something way more serious than that to bring him down, and that's where I came in. He couldn't be accused of kidnapping his own children, but he could be accused of kidnapping me, if I were to accuse him of such a thing. As I stated before, aside from the drastic measures EJ was forced to take to communicate with me initially, that was never the case although for the last few months, that was what I was forced to lead you all to believe. It was either that or EJ and I would both face jail time for fraud, leaving my already traumatized children and three-month-old baby boy with very special needs, parentless. I feel confident that all the parents watching out there realize that given this ultimatum, I had no other choice but to comply with their demands._

_EJ, being the remarkable father and partner that he is, of course realized this too, which was why he was content to take the fall as long as it meant our children were able to remain with one of us._ Inserted here for the benefit of the viewers was a slideshow of pictures focusing on EJ's softer moments, where he could be seen playing with his children on the beach, reading them bedtime stories, and lovingly hovering over a newborn Sawyer in his hospital incubator as well as a few pics of the two of them embracing in the sand with the ocean as a backdrop, and snuggling on the sofa with his hands resting on her pregnant belly and dreamy smiles on their faces. _I, on the other hand, found the entire situation completely unacceptable and I was not going to let my newly rebuilt family go down without a fight. I knew that it was up to me and only me to do something about it. Problem was, considering who I was up against, conventional methods no longer applied. I knew from experience that freedom always comes with a price and since the ISA had stripped us both of our assets, we were penniless, and therefore powerless, to fight back._

_So then what's a woman who's suddenly become a single mother of three traumatized children to do? Well, once again, what I wanted to do and what I was forced to do were two very different scenarios. Ideally, I wanted to establish a stable environment for them and get us all into a place of our own where they would be promised that their father would eventually join us once again. Realistically, I knew that if I tried, I was going to lose custody of my infant son who needed me so desperately, and still does to this day, to the Kiriakis family._ It was here that she lifted a so-far off-screen Sawyer, bearing his necessary oxygen tubing, into her arms.

_As you all know, at the time when I was believed to have been killed in London, I was in love and living with Brady Black. My decision to return to Brady upon my "rescue" appeared to be the natural one when you considered the story I was forced to tell and the fact that this adorable little boy here I gave birth to in the midst of the supposedly harrowing ordeal is his child. This is the part of my story I share with a heavy heart. Brady Black is a wonderful man, and now, father as well, who is another unfortunate victim of the ISA's manipulations. Because of them, I was forced to lie to him regarding our relationship status. There was no way I could share how drastically my life had changed once I had been reunited with the family that I always dreamed of, and amazing man and father that was responsible for making those dreams come true._

Nicole frowned as she scrutinized the last segment of playback. She could see for herself the evident struggle to speak civilly of Brady in her own eyes. If she could see it, so would EJ.

_This is where this story gets very convoluted. I'm sure you're all shaking your heads wondering how I hold the ISA responsible for my deception where Brady is concerned. It's here that I ask you all to take a leap of faith and believe that what I'm about to tell you is one hundred percent accurate, regardless of how far-fetched it sounds. I'm sure you've all heard the saying that money rules the world. It's absolutely true. I already explained before how the ISA took everything from us when we were discovered which in turn left me without a leg to stand on to fight for EJ's freedom. Even with the generous monthly payment I received to care for my own children from Stefano DiMera's will, I couldn't afford a good lawyer let alone the millions it would take to pay off a judge for a final ruling in his favor. That's why I convinced Chad DiMera to contest his father's will and gain control of the estate left to my children. You can call it EJ getting away with murder if you like, but since the crime he was being accused of was never committed in the first place, I like to call it my version of justice._

_For those of you still wondering how Brady fits into all of this, please consider the fact that this took months for me to accomplish, as I very well knew from the start that it would. Now, let's imagine that from the moment of discovery, I told Brady the truth about me and EJ and what happened in Australia and my intention to come to his rescue. I will say that Brady is good-hearted guy who under other circumstances would have been semi-understanding, but you have to consider that Brady also just found out that he had become a dad. Naturally, he wanted to be with his son and I certainly couldn't blame him for that. However, I had to consider what was going to be best for all of my children and, unfortunately, it was a decision I knew we would never see eye to eye on. I wanted to tell Brady the truth, that I was in love with EJ and had every intention of becoming his wife again one day soon; that the kids and I would be fine on our own until he was free and we could rebuild our family. Problem was, it was Victor Kiriakis, Brady's grandfather, who would have no part of it. While Brady would try to play the role of the understanding friend and accept a fair, shared custody agreement, Victor Kiriakis would never allow it. Never. In his eyes, I would be taking away his grandson's child and raising him under the influence of the rival family. Within just a few minutes after coming to from my injuries in the hospital following my rescue, I knew the only way I wouldn't lose my son was to pretend that I had gone through some Stockholm Syndrome kind of episode with EJ and had every intention of rekindling my relationship with Brady moving forward. If it weren't for my sweet, little Cookie Monster here, I would have tried to fight them and do what I knew what was best for my family, but I couldn't jeopardize losing twenty-four-seven access to my son when he still needs me so desperately. At least not until EJ and I once again had the power to fight for my rights, and/or Victor Kiriakis was neutralized, preferably both._

_It's been almost two months now since EJ's release from prison which is why I imagine some of you have been scratching your heads wondering why it has taken me this long to come forward if what I'm saying is true. Well, if you take into consideration the timing of this announcement, give or take a couple of weeks, it should all start making sense. The reason for the delay had to do with part two of my plan; protecting my son from the Kiriakis family. Did I have something to do with Victor Kiriakis's arrest? Absolutely, but I can assure you all I did was what I do best: report things as I see them. There was no framing or planting of evidence, or even twisting events in my favor. The only thing here I am responsible for is tipping off the FBI to something I observed during my stay at the Kiriakis mansion. The only person who can truly accept responsibility for Victor's downfall is Victor himself. Now, I'm sure you're all probably thinking, 'Wait a second? What about all your ramblings about money and power getting you anything you want? What's going to stop Victor Kiriakis from buying his way out of prison? Well, the answer is, you, the public. You can put a stop to it by letting the world know that you won't stand for it. I'm not asking that you do it for me; the man was smuggling diamonds on behalf of terrorists who will use the money made to wage a war against the people of this country, potentially claiming thousands more innocent lives. There's no denying he is a powerful man but, to have power you also need to have allies and there isn't a government employee in their right mind who would have the balls to stand beside him considering his terroristic ties and the resulting unpopular public perceptions of the institutions designed to protect them. That right there my friends is how a man like Victor Kiriakis can be stopped._

_For those of you who are still listening and interested in hearing the conclusion of my story, I am beyond thrilled to report that tomorrow I will be returning home to Salem to my children and my fiance, EJ DiMera. For the past couple of weeks, I have voluntarily been staying in Chicago with Brady Black. As you all know, a few weeks ago we were married in Las Vegas. When I was finally able to come clean about everything with Brady, we mutually agreed to an annulment which has already been settled. Of course, the revelation of my deceit was incredibly hurtful as I regrettably knew it would be, so I spent these last couple of weeks with him in hopes of salvaging what was left of a once beautiful friendship. I'm happy to report we have worked through our issues and once Brady is back on his feet following some personal struggles I will leave up to him whether or not he wishes to share, we will begin to implement a fair, shared custody agreement concerning our son._

_So I guess you could say this is where my story ends, at least from a news-making standpoint. From now on, when you see me on your screens, you can expect to hear more about the upcoming elections or the proposed changes to the city budget. For me however, my story is far from over. Tomorrow, my next chapter only begins when my family will finally be back together under the same roof after almost five, unbearably long months which in retrospect will be a small sacrifice that was very necessary for a lifetime of future happiness._

_This has been Nicole Walker, soon to be Nicole DiMera once more, for DiMera TV news._

The final slideshow that began to play as her voiceover closed the segment showed several images of the happy family together taken by their Australian friends Natalie and Jeff, but the final image she chose was the one she was sure would have the most impact of all and tied in perfectly with her chosen words. It was the picture that Belle had snapped when EJ was on his knees proposing to her underneath the southern lights, where their own smiles outshined the magnificent display of nature by far.

Aside from the insincerity she saw in the segments centered around her sickening faux-endorsement of Brady which absolutely no amount of retakes could remedy, she was satisfied with the piece. After clicking 'send' on the email to Miles containing the video, it was time to call the big boss and advise him that the piece was ready to air.

"Hi Sweetheart! Hi mommy, Hi Sawyer" the voices of her loved ones came simultaneously along with waves and smiles delivered via the laptop screen.

"Hi guys," she exclaimed excitedly, feeling the familiar brief sting of happy tears come to her eyes. It had been far too long since she'd seen her babies this happy. With EJ back in the picture, they were once again confident that neither she or their father would ever let them down.

"Mommy, guess what we're doing," Belle teased from EJ's lap with her arms hung around his neck.

"Well, whatever it is, it looks messy," Nicole said with amusement as she observed the soiled clothing on all.

"Don't tell her," Alex interjected adamantly, giving his sister a playful shove. "It's SUPPOSED to be a surprise."

"I was only gonna say that we were making her a surprise, dummy," Belle said with disdain, giving Alex a return shove. "Brothers," she lamented aloud with a disapproving shake of her head stolen from Nicole's very own playbook.

"You see, sweetheart, everything is perfectly back to normal," EJ remarked with a wink and that same charming smile which completely won her over from the very first time she'd seen it. "Well, almost."

"Tomorrow, honey. Tomorrow we will officially be a family once more."

"See, I told you mommy was coming home tomorrow," Belle snickered at her brother.

"I knew before you cuz I heard daddy talking to uncle Chad, DUMMY!" It was Alex, using his sister's preferred insult against it's originator this time.

"Hey, you two!"

Their mommy's disapproving tone was the only warning her little ones needed. Aside from their incessant teasing of one another, there was a beautiful, loving bond between her daughter and son that reminded her so much of her own relationship with Brandon. As much as they might enjoy tormenting one another, neither one would stand for a third party who might try doing the same.

"Sorry mommy," Alex said, sincerely apologetic while her daughter smiled impishly in the background.

"You see what you're missing? It's been like this all day," EJ remarked with an adoring grin that matched her own. "By the way, you two...don't you think there's something you need to go check on?"

EJ's suggestion caused Belle to gasp in horror and grab her brother by the hand before running from the room, squealing, "Be right back, mommy," before they disappeared around a corner.

"What was that," Nicole chuckled as she shook her head in confusion.

"Believe me, sweetheart, you're better off not knowing what your children dragged me into. All I can say is that if you're offered something to eat tomorrow I would think twice before putting it in your mouth."

"Ah, I guessed right! The pink frosting on your chin gave you away, honey."

"At the rate this is going I think we'll be finding traces of pink frosting all over the house, and all over me, for months."

"Well, when I get home I'd be happy to give you a thorough examination to make sure we get it all off you."

EJ's eyes lit up with intrigue. "Well, I just might have to put some aside to make sure there's pink frosting on me to be found." His smile lingered for a moment before his face morphed into a more serious expression. "Please tell me you really are coming home tomorrow, Nikki."

"Yes, yes of course I am, I promise. From now on, there's no more anything that is going to come between us."

"Why even wait until tomorrow? I can have the jet come and get you right now. We can all come. The kids are out of school-"

"No, I want to do it this way. I have my reasons."

"Alright, which are?"

"Would you think I'm completely shallow if I told you I want our reunion to draw media attention?"

"No," he said shaking his head as his smile turned to one of complete adoration. "Sweetheart, you couldn't be shallow if you tried. I think I know where this is going."

"I want to do this for our babies, honey. I know after my story airs tonight, the world is going to have a whole new perception of our family. I want them to know it's finally OK to express their true feelings, and be able to celebrate who they are and where they come from. As much as I've tried to shield them from the media I know they've still heard some pretty bad stuff about you and I want them to witness first-hand how the public opinion is about to change."

"Have I told you lately how amazing you are?"

"Every day, honey," she said with a content smile as she blew him a kiss. "Every day."

"Well that's still not enough. You're absolutely fucking amazing."

At this point, Sawyer let out a little high-pitched shriek causing the two of them to chuckle.

"That's right, Cookie, you tell EJ mommy doesn't like people using those words around you," she spoke to her son in her adorably unique, slightly lisped voice reserved exclusively for interacting with babies.

"He's gotten so big, Nikki. I can't believe I've missed so much all over again. It's like the universe has something against us raising a baby together."

Suddenly, Nicole felt like she couldn't breathe. In an instant, she was taken back to the moment when she was lying on the floor helpless as Brady took the life of the sweet little angel she would never be able to tell EJ about.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong," EJ said with alarm as he leaned in toward the camera as if the gesture in some way would allow him to get a better look at his love. Aside from the drastic change in color of her face, she seemed to be trembling, and her breathing appeared labored.

As soon as it registered EJ noticed something was off, she immediately sought to do damage control. "Nothing," she replied quickly, shaking her head along with her statement for added impact. "Sorry, you just took me back for a moment there. It still makes me so angry when I think about what your father did to us."

"I know, me too. Sometimes I wish he were still alive just so I could kill him with my own bare hands. I should have done it when I had the chance but the old man beat me to it and croaked on his own."

"I know you would too." _Which is why I have to protect you_, she reminded herself, privately.

"You bet I would. Nobody 'fudges' with my family and gets away with it. Not even family."

"Daddy, what does 'fudges' mean," Belle said as she re-entered the picture and hopped onto his lap.

Nicole started giggling hysterically, probably more from the relief due to change of subject than the matter itself.

"Well, my pretties, while your daddy explains that, mommy is going to go and get your brother here fed."

"Are we really gonna see you on the news again tonight, mommy," Alex said as he climbed into the picture, twinning with his father thanks to the frosting and crumbs all over his precious little face.

"Yes! Mommy is back on TV, and guess what? I don't wanna give away too much but let's just say you might see some other faces on there that you'll recognize too."

"And then tomorrow, we get to see you for reals?"

"Yes, princess. Tomorrow, mommy and Sawyer are coming home for good. I promise."

The confirmation of the next day's events caused her daughter to break out into a pitch-perfect rendition of the song, "Tomorrow," from Annie, complete with choreography Nicole could regrettably only catch brief glimpses of on her end.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," EJ mused, nodding in Belle's off-screen direction. "It's going to be so wonderful finally having you both home, sweetheart. I can hardly wait for tomorrow."

"It's only a day away."

"I suppose that means I'll have to keep myself well pre-occupied, otherwise I just might find myself flying up there to bring you home tonight whether you like it or not."

"Oh honey, how barbaric of you!"

"Oh come on. You know you love it when I pick you up and throw you over my shoulder and carry you back to my lair."

"Sounds like some fun we can have TOMORROW evening," she replied with a suggestive wink.

"Oh, alright, fine. Have it your way. I suppose I am going to rather busy this evening anyway."

"Oh really? Doing what, might I ask?"

There it was: that mischievous but still unmistakably charming smile that she loved so much when he had something up his sleeve. "Making sure that my soon-to-be wife has one hell of an epic homecoming, that's what."


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Salem

Next Day

"Oh, Mr. DiMera, so sorry I'm late, sir, but I had a terrible time trying to get through that mob of reporters out there," Mary, long-time maid to the DiMera family, explained as she hustled in through the servant's entrance through the kitchen where EJ was helping his children prep their cereal bowls.

"It's quite alright, Mary, it's not your fault," he assured her, offering a benevolent smile. He knew very well the poor woman hadn't missed a day at work or been late once during her entire tenure with the family. She was dependable, honest, trustworthy, incredibly good-natured and kind-hearted, and absolutely wonderful with children which was why he'd immediately sought her out once he'd moved back into the mansion, this time with a new job offer: nanny. Of course with Sawyer's condition it meant that she would have to undergo CPR training and be certified but she didn't blink once at his stipulation. She was ecstatic to learn that she would be caring for a baby, and more so when it became clear that the baby was Sawyer. Mary had always been one of Nicole's most staunch supporters and she was beyond thrilled to learn that whole thing between the two of them was just a ruse and that her favorite Mrs. DiMera and her children would be returning to the mansion soon.

"Daddy, is it time to go get mommy yet," Alex inquired as he tugged on his father's pant leg impatiently.

"Soon, but breakfast first, young man."

"We have to wait for uncle Brandon and aunt Chloe, remember," Belle was quick to add.

Initially, it had been discussed that Brandon and Chloe would just meet them all at the airport, but when Chloe called just a short while ago in a near-panic, insisting she needed to see EJ beforehand to 'deliver something extremely important,' he was forced to push their departure for the airport back until they arrived. Time was running short however, and if they didn't arrive soon, he would have no other choice but to bail on the proposed meeting. He couldn't risk being late for Nicole's arrival and considering Mary's struggles to get through the thirsty crowd of media figures who'd set up camp outside the mansion, once they'd seen it was him and the children trying to leave he could multiply her difficulty getting through times ten.

"OH MY GOD! REALLY," Chloe said frustratedly as she entered the kitchen from the main part of the house with Brandon trailing close behind, shooting a disbelieving look at EJ while she coralled her niece and nephew into her arms for a group hug. "It's CRAZY out there! Do you know that chick from FoxTV actually jumped on the hood of our SUV and was trying to crawl her way to Brandon's window? They all want to know if you're planning on being at the airport when Nicole gets back."

"You should have been there last night when I went to the square following the broadcast. Some guy actually tried to climb in the trunk of my car while my driver stepped away for a cup of coffee."

"You were so cute on the news," Chloe said as she curled her lip into an admiring pout and pinched his cheek. "Nicole got all sappy over the part where you just went on and on and on. 'She's my gift from God, my hero. The Rapunzel to my Flynn Rider."

"That was my favorite part," Belle chimed in, bearing a huge grin.

"That one was for you, sweetheart," EJ informed his little girl, followed by a kiss to the top of her head.

"The front of the house looks beautiful, by the way. Love the banner, kiddos, and she is going to flip when she sees all those fresh-cut flowers."

"Ah, there's another story for you. The man who delivered the flowers told me that a woman offered him a thousand dollars if he would allow her to swap places with him. These people are insane, you know."

"You do realize that woman you intend to marry is one of them, don't you?"

"Oh come on now, that's an insult. Nicole is far more clever than these baboons. She can charm her way through a snake pit."

"Well, it's a good thing cuz, by the looks of it, you're going to need her to work her magic just to make it back home."

"Yes, and in order for that to happen I need to make it to her in the first place so, if you don't mind-"

"Right," Chloe said, suddenly reminded of the task at hand thanks to EJ's prompting. "Come with me," she said as she turned on her heels and headed in the direction of the living room. Once she was confident that they were alone, she fished into her purse and withdrew an envelope which she promptly handed over to him.

"What is this," he inquired with great interest upon immediately recognizing the handwriting on the outside of the envelope addressed to him as Nicole's.

"Right before she left for Vegas, she gave this to Brandon to give to you in the event that something happened to her. She made him promise that no one would open it unless she went missing or something and that she would need it back if she made it home. Well, technically speaking, she only made Brandon promise which lets me off the hook for opening it," she explained through gritted teeth, nervously, in anticipation of a possible volatile reaction. When all she got was a mildly disapproving look, she felt comfortable continuing her explanation. "Well, you see, there was this lumpy thing inside and it was killing me to know what it was. I just couldn't take it. I had to do it, but I think you'll be glad that I did cuz it's something that you might want to use today."

At this point, Chloe excused herself from the room to allow him the privacy he would likely appreciate to read the same letter which had caused her to use up an entire box of tissues upon it's completion. Of course she didn't expect the same, pitiful, uncontrollable, blubbering from EJ, but he was a member of a rare breed of sensitive dudes who weren't ashamed to shed a tear over a woman from time to time, and she expected that to be the result.

As EJ unfolded the thick bundle of paper, the mystery item slid from between the multiple sheets of paper and into the palm of his hand. It was her engagement ring, more specifically her most recent one he'd presented her with in Australia; the one that he and the kids had picked out for her together. If he didn't know better he might have been worried that this was a break-up gesture, but even if he didn't already know in his heart that wasn't the case, the first passage of her letter had been quick to explain.

_Hi Honey. Before you go all crazy and start wondering why you're holding my engagement ring in your hand, rest assured that in no way is it a representation of my feelings for you. I'm not giving it back, I'm merely letting you hold onto it for safe keeping. As I'm sure Brandon has already explained, you are reading this letter only because something has happened to me. Maybe I've gone missing or, worse yet, confirmed to be dead. If it's the former, then hopefully the contents of this letter can help lead you to my rescue, in which case I fully expect to get my ring back, mister! If it's the latter, then I wanted to make sure that you would know where to find it so that one day you could give it to Belle._

His hand squeezed tightly into a fist around the ring it held inside. For the first time he was realizing just how frightened she had been and in turn, he felt his heart begin to race as he pondered how it all could have ended very badly. The more he read on, the more he became sickened by all the finer details she had failed to mention in her efforts to put him at ease, specifically those involving Xander Cook. The psychopath had kidnapped her with intentions of keeping her locked away in a tower somewhere like Rapunzel, and he wasn't quite convinced that his reasons were as heroic as he claimed. Clearly the man was obsessed with her and despite her efforts to reassure him that she had settled things with Xander and that he was no longer a threat, he wasn't so sure. Now that the sheep-shagger had taken up permanent residence in Salem, it was time to up his surveillance of that pipe-blowing bastard and schedule himself a visit where he could issue his one and only fair warning to keep far away from Nicole. But that could wait until tomorrow, or quite possibly next week and beyond for Nicole would be home within the hour now and he didn't plan on letting her out of his sight for as long as she would allow him to get away with.

"Daddy, come on," Belle said as she began to tug him away by the arm after sneaking up on him undetected. "It's 7:45. It's time to go get mommy and Sawyer."

He'd never seen his little girl more excited. Since moving in with him at the mansion they would now finally be able to call home, both she and her brother had become permanent lodgers in his bed, just like they'd slumbered alongside Nicole during their stay at the house of Kiriakis, so he knew for fact that she hadn't slept a wink. Of course he knew this only because neither had he. Instead of sleeping, he and his daughter shared whispered stories of all their hopes and dreams for their future and agreed that the first order of business following Nicole's homecoming should be planning a most extraordinary wedding to finally make their family official once more. Belle could hardly wait for the wedding planning to commence, as she and her brother had been appointed as their parents' official wedding planners. It was an executive decision he was comfortable making on Nicole's behalf for he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her number one priority would be making the celebration of their union tailor-made for the children, so who better could there be to perform the job than the children themselves?

After being personally escorted to the waiting car where Alexander was already strapped into his booster seat, they were finally on their way to the airport after a seemingly endless twenty-four hour waiting period.

"Who are all those people," Alex demanded as he watched the crowd of reporters approach their car with fascination as it cautiously emerged from the gates.

"They're news people, just like mommy," Belle proudly informed her little brother since she was now an expert on the subject thanks to an earlier interaction with her father.

"Why are they following us, he inquired as he observed the crowd now piled into assorted cars and vans trailing closely behind.

"They are following us because your mommy is a superhero now, did you know that? She fought off the evil villains and saved the day, all so she could come back home to her family and, now, the world wants to celebrate with her."

The scene inside the small, regional airport was even more chaotic, as there was already a sizeable mass of media folk who'd established themselves there as well. According to airport security, who was working closely with EJ's own entourage of bodyguards for his family's protection, several journalists had already been arrested after fights had broken out over securing the optimal filming angle at the gate where Nicole would be arriving; a bit of knowledge that she had purposely spoiled in one of her tweets from earlier this morning. Everywhere they went, they were surrounded by a sea of reporters with desperate pleas for a comment or two, and EJ did his best to satisfy their curiosity by answering random questions while still keeping his focus on the children and embracing this milestone family moment. Of course they wanted to talk to the children too, and where Alex shied away from the microphones, eventually ending up atop EJ's shoulders to give him some much-needed space from the smothering crowd, Belle was more than happy to tackle any questions being asked, invoking every ounce of her mother's same poise and grace for delivering the answers they sought. Within barely half an hour following Belle's first official interview, the world had become smitten with the children that Nicole had worked so hard to shield from the public eye until now in her efforts to spare them from the plethora of lies and misinformation surrounding their family.

And then her plane finally landed which prompted an amazing thing to happen: the crowd of reporters actually began to disperse to the sidelines, allowing the family a respectable amount of breathing room for the impending reunion. Since it was a super-short flight from Chicago to Salem, the passengers of the small, commuter plane disembarked via a portable staircase, right onto the tarmac, and it was no surprise that first to emerge was the celebrity passenger herself, carrying Sawyer in her arms as she carefully descended the stairs until she was greeted by an attendant on the ground who had Sawyer's stroller ready for her. Inside the building, EJ and the children waved frantically from behind the floor-to-ceiling, plate glass windows until they caught her eye, prompting her to wave and blow kisses in return.

She was spared from having to deal with reporters on her way inside the building, thanks to the strict airport security guidelines which forbade anyone but passengers, airport or airline employees, or law enforcement in restricted areas. Of course it was the same regulations which also prevented EJ and the kids from running to her, even though they could now see her approaching them from beyond the gate.

EJ couldn't take his eyes off her since the moment she stepped from the plane. She looked absolutely stunning, like a woman of royalty, in the sleeveless, turquoise sheath dress with a white, paisley pattern, finished off by a pair of white, peep-toe pumps. Her long hair had been pulled back into a modern french twist, giving her classic, elegant look a more contemporary feel reminiscent of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton herself. The look wasn't exactly what he'd call Nicole's personal style, but she always knew how to dress for the occasion. She admittedly intended to milk the reformed public opinion about their family for all it was worth, and any good actress knew that looking the part was just as important as how well it was played. She might not be a Windsor, but she intended to be treated like one, and he would be honored to set the example and be the first to fall at her feet in worship. She might never hold the title officially, but she would always be his queen.

With Nicole now well within sight and earshot, Alexander began to squirm atop EJ's shoulders, indicating he was ready to be let down so he could join his sister who was bouncing up and down excitedly as she called for her mother. Hearing her babies' cries was all it took for her to pick up her pace. She was literally in the home stretch now and in a matter of mere seconds, she would have her family back in her arms. It seemed so unfair that she should have to choose whom she would open her arms to first but on the same token, she took comfort in knowing that if their roles had been reversed, EJ would do exactly the same. once she took that final step past the security checkpoint that was the last remaining obstacle standing between her and her family, she dropped to her knees after assuring Sawyer's stroller was parked immediately within her reach, and pulled her two beautiful babes into her arms for the biggest mother bear hug there was. EJ, being the incredible thinker that he was, came up with the perfect solution to her problem when he joined them all on the ground, and managed to get his arms around all three of them at once.

"Welcome home, sweetheart," he said sweetly, kissing her forehead while she was busy planting kisses on her son and daughter.

"It's so wonderful to be home," she replied behind a smile so wide that it was almost impossible to form her words appropriately. "I've missed you all so much!"

The mob of reporters had returned, but not a one of them was concerned with their presence anymore. All the thought that had been put into staging this very moment had completely gone out the window, and what the media got instead was far more exhilirating than anything that could have been crafted; a touching family reunion which lay to rest any lingering doubts the world may have had about the relationship between EJ DiMera and Nicole Walker.

There wasn't a single member of the family who was dry eyed, including Sawyer who began to wail from inside his stroller.

"Uh-oh, I think somebody's feeling a little neglected," EJ said as he reached in and gently freed the baby boy he hadn't seen in months of his safety restraints, and lifted him into his arms. "Hi there, sweetheart. Do you remember me?"

It was the first time during the reunion that Nicole actually broke into a sob. The moment Sawyer looked up into EJ's eyes, he not only stopped fussing, he immediately smiled and let out one of his adorable little squeals of delight. What affected her most however was watching EJ's face. He was struggling to keep his tough-guy composure, but was so obviously overwhelmed with love for the baby boy that he adored every bit as much as one of his own. He wasn't Sawyer's father by blood, but he was certainly better at the job than the one who really was by far and, as a result of seeing them together once again, she immediately began to rethink her decision to allow a relationship between Brady and his son. For now at least, Brady wouldn't be a concern until he finished his rehab program which gave her plenty of time to figure out how she was going to break it to him that she had changed her mind. She was looking straight at the only man whom she wanted to be a father to her children, and unless Brady wanted to face jail time or worse for what he did to her and the baby, there was absolutely nothing he or anyone else could do about it. Of course she was only content with using this as a scare tactic because she knew it would work. Actually letting that cat out of the bag was an impossibility if she wished to keep EJ out of trouble, but she still felt confident that Brady wouldn't take the risk of challenging her even if he was keen to the fact.

"Of course he remembers you," Nicole said softly as she looked upon them with a look of complete adoration. "You never forget the face of the person who saved your life, and you certainly never stop loving them."

With Sawyer still anchored to his side in one arm, he grabbed her around the waist with his free one and finally pulled her into the passionate kiss that he'd been impatiently waiting for.

"You're right, because I will never stop loving you" he murmered sweetly when their lips finally parted. "I never have, since the first day I met you. I'll admit, I didn't know what I had until you were gone, but now that I have you back, I'm never going to let go. So," he began as he ironically released his arm from around her so that he was free to reach into the inner pocket of his jacket. "I guess the only thing left to do now is to make my intentions for you official." With that, he revealed his purpose for digging into his coat by presenting her with her engagement ring. "I know you only gave it back to me for safe keeping, but it wouldn't feel right for me to put it back on your finger without following proper procedure. Nicole Walker, will you marry me?"

"YES! YES, of course," she exclaimed joyously as she held her parted hand out to him for easy placement. She smiled through her tears looking down at the ring, now back where it should be, then fell back into his embrace, followed by Belle and Alex attacking them with a barage of hugs and kisses.

Nicole was the happiest EJ had probably ever seen, but still...there was a just a hint of something troubling in her eyes, a sadness that didn't seem to be fitting for the occasion of the happy family reunion. Of course that was because Nicole was the only one who knew that today and beyond, their family would always be one member short.


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Same Day

"Alright, sweetheart, we're at the door. Step up," EJ instructed Nicole, serving as her guide since his hands were covering her eyes until he was ready to reveal his surprise.

"Almost there, mommy," Belle called out from inside the house, where she and her two brothers were already waiting alongside Mary.

Even with her eyes still closed, Nicole could sense there was something different about the place. Granted, the change of atmosphere could simply be due to the lack of visual perspective. The mansion had always been rather dark and dreary in appearance and that, when paired with portraits of Stefano boring his sinister eyes through your soul at every turn, was enough to make one want to turn right back around and run for the door. However, when she was finally allowed to open her eyes, she was met with a sense of belonging she'd never quite experienced anywhere before that beckoned her to stay, although she was fairly sure that it had absolutely nothing to do with the house itself, even in it's current, much-improved state. As long as EJ and the kids were by her side, she would always feel at home, no matter where she was.

EJ had obviously gone out of his way for the occasion. The floral arrangements were absolutely beautiful and served as a nice compliment to the other cosmetic improvements that had been made to make the mansion appear more inviting. Gone were the dark, patterned carpets and heavy draperies that previously covered the windows which made one feel like the walls were closing in on them from all directions. The rugs had been removed to reveal the pristine, hardwood floors that laid hidden underneath which beautifully reflected the natural light pouring in through the newly exposed windows, now dressed in sheers that were presently tied back. Additionally, at least from what she could see in the foyer, most of the home's former furninshings were gone, from furniture itself to the many, expensive and extremely delicate decorative pieces that Stefano had held so dear. In fact, there really wasn't a single thing remaining that she recognized aside from the bones of the place itself.

"This place looks amazing," she murmered softly as she allowed herself to slump backward slightly into EJ's embrace when his arms circled her waist. "I can see you guys have been keeping yourselves busy while I was gone. The flowers are just gorgeous, and that banner! You must have paid someone some big bucks to design that!" Here, she she cocked her head backwards to cast a wink at EJ.

"No, mommy, we did it," Alex exclaimed, beaming proudly as he wrapped his little arm around his big sister's waist.

"You mean to tell me that my munchkins made this awesome banner, all by themselves? It seems we have some very talented artists in this house, honey!"

"Alex did most of the coloring and I made the letters."

"Well, it is fantastic! You guys all went out of your way."

"There's more, mommy! Come on!"

Belle and Alex disappeared into the living room under the assumption that their parents would follow close behind. Nicole certainly wouldn't disappoint them, but she did take advantage of the few seconds of alone time she was granted to turn around and wrap her arms around EJ's neck and pull him into a kiss. She kept it brief knowing that time wouldn't allow much more for now, but she couldn't resist seizing every opportunity to show her affection when it presented itself.

"Thank you, for everything," she said as she collapsed into his embrace, laying her head upon his shoulder. "This place really does look incredible."

"I'm glad that you're pleased, sweetheart, but really it's just a start."

"What do you mean, 'it's just a start?' It's already pretty damn well near unrecognizable."

"You'll see," he replied with that familiar all-knowing tone which informed her he had even more up his sleeve. The mischevious look in his eyes as he broke free from the embrace and led her by the hand into the living room further confirmed this assumption.

"SURPRISE!"

Although she was completely aware she would be greeted by company once they arrived home, she wasn't fully prepared for the room full of guests awaiting her arrival in the living room. All the usual suspects were there: Brandon and Chloe of course whom had headed back ahead of them from the airport so Chloe, now seven months pregnant, could get off her swollen feet and, naturally, Chad since the mansion was also his home. As for the unexpected faces, cuddled up next to her roomie and future brother-in-law was another one of DiMera Enterprises newest acquisitions, Peyton Matthews, despite the fact that Chad claimed he 'just wasn't that into her.' Sitting across from Brandon and Chloe on the sofa was Abe and Theo Carver, along with her own daughter and son who were apparently eager to get acquainted with their cousin-slash-sorta uncle. In another corner of the room stood their former Australian neighbors, Natalie and Jeff, whom she had known would be in town since Natalie, her Australian counterpart, had become somewhat of a celebrity herself in her own homeland through her ties to the family and was expected to cover the exciting new developments in their story. Most surprising however was Rafe Hernandez, who raised his glass to her with a wink when they made eye contact. For a moment, it seemed like there was some kind of horrible imbalance in the universe that Rafe was actually an invited guest at the mansion, but when she caught EJ glaring at him in disdain out of the corner of her eye, all felt right in the world once more and she chuckled to herself contentedly.

As wonderful as it was to see all the the family and friends who had come to show their support, the absence of two very important people was silently taking it's toll on their family. When Sami found out that Belle and Alex were staying with EJ at the mansion, she waved her iron fist once more by forbidding EJ from taking Johnny and Sydney on his own, and any interaction at all between the siblings. She claimed she was only trying to protect Johnny and Sydney from suffering the effects of EJ's apparent "favoritism" of his other children; a move which made absolutely no sense at all, in typical Sami fashion. She didn't doubt for a second that Johnny and Sydney both were indeed feeling hurt and neglected, but the only person who was to blame for it was the one who was quick to finger everyone else but herself. Stupid bitch was still too dumb to realize that she could never win a custody battle against EJ, which he of course immediately filed for as a result, and especially now that the majority of the world had changed it's tune about him. Heck, he probably wouldn't even have to pay off the judge this time: no official in their right mind would rule against the new Father-of-the-Year unless they wanted to face endless public scrutiny. The court date was less than a month away which at least gave them plenty of time to prepare for their homecoming. Soon Johnny and Sydney would be with them at the mansion where they belonged, with a family who loved them dearly and would actually put them first. They were going to need a good, extra-strong dose of TLC thanks to the damage done by Sami, and luckily her family had plenty of that to go around.

Nicole found herself being surrounded on all sides by the guests anxious to deliver their welcome-home and congratulatory hugs and well-wishes. Although she wanted nothing more at the moment than some quality alone-time with her newly-reunited family, the warm reception featuring her closest family and friends was a welcome surprise, especially after noting just how happy Belle and Alex were to be amongst their suddenly expanded family.

"Thank you for coming, everyone," EJ said, raising his voice so he could be heard over the outbreak of chatter. "Harold is making his rounds with some champagne so that you all can join me in a toast. Belle, Alexander, and Theodore: Mary has something extra-special for the three of you."

Nicole chuckled adoringly as she watched the cousins excitedly accept their plastic flutes of sparkling apple cider from Mary.

After surveying that everyone had indeed been served, EJ extended his hand to Nicole, pulling her back toward him when she accepted. He stood facing her as he prepared for his impending speech with that look that always made her heart skip a beat. She imagined he was seeing her version of his face in return if how she felt had anything at all to do with her physical expression. She had never felt more loved or more in love than she did at this very moment, and EJ hadn't even spoken a word yet. With his eyes still transfixed on her, he raised his glass into the air to proceed with the toast.

"Welcome home, sweetheart. I know I can speak for all when I say we couldn't be happier to have you home, safe and sound. We stand together here tonight as a family and it's ALL because of you. We couldn't be luckier to have someone so dedicated to preserving our happiness that she would risk life and limb to achieve it, although I'll have you know from now on, let's work on limiting your extra-curricular activities to planning surprise parties and making our children's dreams come true, alright?"

He was relieved to receive a round of giggles and chuckles from all, Nicole included. He didn't mean for it to come off as the sexist remark it sure sounded like as it rolled from his tongue, and in effort to clarify he began to elaborate. "What I mean is, I hope you know that I am every bit as dedicated to protecting our family's safety and happiness as you are and since you are the heart and soul of this family, that especially means you. I don't know what I would do without you, Nikki. Because of you, I know what it means to love. It was something I had to learn the hard way, but ironically, and sadly, it was losing you which helped me identify exactly what it was that I had lost. Now that I have you back, I'm never letting go again."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," she said misty-eyed as she leaned in for a kiss. "I love you, and I can't wait to be Mrs. EJ DiMera again, for the third, and final, time."

"And the sooner the better. I'll have you know I took the liberty of hiring us a wedding planner, or planners I should say. A brother and sister duo actually with some fabulous ideas."

"That's us," Belle announced as she and Alex came running to their side.

"When are you going to tell her about the house, daddy," Alex said, which in turn earned him a jab in his side courtesy of his sister's elbow.

"The house? What about the house?"

"It's alright, sweetheart," EJ explained soothingly as he pet Belle on the head." It's time. Peyton!"

Nicole watched curiously with a raised eyebrow as EJ beckoned for Chad's "date" to join them.

"Nicole, hi, it's so nice to see you again," the stunning Peyton Matthews said as she approached her with her hand extended for a shake. "I thought for sure I'd never see you again when the Titan deal didn't work out, but whaddaya know? I ended up with DiMera and from what I understand now, it was all your idea!"

"Well, I know a good thing when I see it and I wasn't about to lose you to the competition. Welcome aboard."

"Thank you. I have to say, I'm most grateful you came to bat for me, for several reasons. One in particular," she said with a nod in Chad's direction, topped off with the glow of infatuation on her face.

"Ah, I understand completely. One of the many perks of aligning yourself with DiMera."

"Indeed," she replied with a knowing grin. "Anyway, I have a little surprise for you, as a token of my appreciation. I can't take complete credit cuz I must admit it was EJ who put the bug in my ear, but I'm happy I could play a role in making it happen." She paused to clear her throat, apparently in preparation for the raised voice needed to make her following announcement. "Alright, guys, you can come out now!"

"You've got to be...kidding me," Nicole exclaimed excitedly as she threw a hand over her gaping mouth. "The Property Brothers?"

"In the flesh," Drew Scott, the more polished, real-estate agent half of the famous HGTV, home-improvement-wizard, twins announced as the pair of them marched toward her side by side. "I'm Drew, and this is-"

"Jonathan," she screamed, throwing her arms around Drew's considerably more rugged, but every bit as handsome, sibling and reality show counterpart.

"Ah, I told you I would be her favorite," Jonathan said to his brother tauntingly as he shot Drew a smug look. "I got a hug and you didn't."

"Well, actually, gentlemen, I believe I'm her favorite if you must know so there's no need to fight over it," EJ exclaimed semi-jokingly, which prompted Nicole to slither out of Jonathan's grip and back to the side of the man who was indeed her most preferred.

"I told you all the improvements to the mansion you've seen is just a start," EJ remarked as he stared down into her twinkling eyes. "All I've done is removed all the rubbish that was cluttering this place up. These guys are going to make this place your dream home."

"Correction: I will make it your dream home. Drew will just sit around and watch me work," Jonathan interjected, demonstrating that the home-improving twin brothers were indeed just as amusing off-camera as they were on, as expected.

"Actually, since this will not be your typical Property Brothers show because you already own your home, I WILL be pitching in and actually getting my hands dirty," Drew explained.

"Yeah, by raiding the kitchen maybe."

"Wait a minute, so this is actually going to be a televised project," Nicole said, growing even more intrigued and excited than EJ could even imagine.

"If that's OK," Jonathan was quick to clarify. "We'd still be happy to do the project regardless."

"Oh my god, of course it's ok! This is going to be so amazing! Thank you so much!"

"I'll have you know, your daughter has already given me the rundown of what she wants," Jonathan began with a bemused smile. "I tried to explain to her that I can build her Rapunzel's tower, I'm just not sure I can give her the head of hair that she needs to access it."

Nicole and EJ shared an amused chuckle as they simultaneously glanced in Belle's direction, then, at each other, adoringly.

"They're so precious. It's going to be a joy working with them," Drew offered, sharing his own fondness for their little ones. "And with you, of course." It was this remark which earned him a narrow-eyed glare from EJ, which Nicole found most entertaining.

"When do you plan to start," she inquired with a bit of extra oomph for EJ's benefit. She wasn't too ashamed to admit she rather enjoyed playfully making him jealous.

This time, it was Jonathan to reply, as Nicole expected. Just like on their show, the twins seemed to always talk in turns. "Well, we could really get the ball rolling in as little as a week from now, but ultimately it's up to you. We and everyone at HGTV realize how crazy things have been for you and your family, and that you just might need some time to unwind first. Believe me, whenever you're ready is when we'll make it happen. Everyone's so excited about this project that it's number-one in priority."

"Actually, I would like to put it off for a little bit if we can," Nicole replied, with her back turned to her other guests, in a hushed voice which would continue throughout her explanation. "Hopefully, if things work out as planned, EJ's son and daughter from his first marriage will be moving in with us soon, and I want them to be included in this."

EJ, feeling particulary touched by her concern for Johnny and Sydney, tightened his grip around her and kissed the top of her head. "Actually, sweetheart, I was thinking we could try to coordinate it around the wedding, so that when we come home from our honeymoon, we'll be starting off fresh in our new home, all of us, Johnny and Sydney included."

"Yeah, honey, that sounds perfect!" She turned her attention to Jonathan now. "If you're still going to be in town tomorrow, why don't you come and join us for lunch here at the mansion and we can go over some ideas," Nicole suggested.

"That sounds like a plan," Drew replied with a huge grin. A little too huge for EJ's liking. "We can tour the place then and get a good feel for what it is you're looking for and draw up a few different plans for the reno. For now, we'll let you all get back to your celebration, and we'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

As soon as she could hear the front door click shut behind them, she squealed with excitement and gave Peyton a hug. "Thank you so much for making this happen!"

"You're welcome, but honestly, Nicole, they're not doing me any favors. I know the guys, but business is business, you know and sometimes we can't always take care of our friends. They're doing this because they WANT to do this for you. And let's not forget it was really all your future hubby's idea."

"Well, in that case, I suppose I will have to come up with a way to show you my gratitude now, won't I," she said suggestively to EJ as she threw her arms around his neck.

"Mmmm. Well, as much as I like the sound of that darling, this right here," he indicated by dotting both ends of her smile with his fingertip, "is enough."

She was grinning practically from ear to ear and suddenly, the acknowledgement of her temporary state of contentment started to make her feel guilty. Granted, she did have many things to be happy about, but it seemed disrespectful to the baby she lost to engage in such celebratory behavior and as a result, the smile which EJ had just taken the time to appreciate disappeared in an instant, putting EJ on high alert.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong," he asked worriedly, placing his hands on her shoulders as he peered deeply into her eyes.

"Nothing," she replied quickly, forcing a smile which resulted in only making him all the more concerned. To the casual observer, he seemingly accepted her response when he smiled satisfactorily and kissed her cheek in return, but when he excused himself from her side and began making his rounds with the crowd in effort to draw the party to a close, she knew the part of her homecoming that she'd been dreading was quickly approaching. The same person who knew how to make her the happiest woman alive was also both the same person who knew exactly how she was feeling at all times and the lone person whom she could never successfully pull one over on. He knew something was wrong and he wouldn't be satisfied until he had his explanation as to what. Should she just bite the bullet now and tell him the truth, or try her hand at lying once more hoping for different results? As her brain conjured up images of EJ locked behind bars, she heaved a deep sigh of frustration as the awful picture helped her make the final call.

Quietly, to herself, she said, 'Well, I guess that answers that question, Nikki. You are officially insane."


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Later That Evening

"Well, we have three pooped-out children fast asleep," EJ began as he entered the living room where Nicole was waiting for him on the sofa in a silky, red neglige. "Two glasses of wine," he continued as he swiftly poured a glass for each of them at the bar, then took the seat by her side. "And finally...some long-overdue one-on-one time for you and me."

Once he was stationary in his seat with wine glasses placed in front of them on the coffee table, he opened his arms to her, prompting her to snuggle in close, not that she needed the invitation considering she was already half way there when he made the gesture. It was this very moment she'd been looking forward to for months. Of course she'd missed being intimate with him, but it was their late-night quality couple time that she'd missed the most, when they would cuddle up on the sofa just like now and talk about their day, resolve any family issues, or just reminisce about the past or share their hopes and dreams for the future. Her eagerness to resume their nightly ritual faded earlier that day however once she concluded that EJ was onto her. He knew she was keeping something bottled up inside and she was sure that his reluctance to press her on the issue thus far was only because he was postponing the inquistion for when the children were asleep and she'd be most apt to speak openly. Eventually he would start grilling her about what was wrong and she could only hope that the excuse she'd concocted would be convincing enough.

The first few moments were blissful. For a good couple of minutes, they didn't even speak but rather just relished in the glory of being in each other's arms once more. She felt at home again, safe again, like no harm could ever come her way as long as his arms were around her.

_If EJ would've been there in the first place, none of this would have ever happened._

The internal accusation wasn't directed at him, it was at herself. The baby was gone and it was no one's fault but her own. She was the one who'd kept EJ at a distance and dismissed his warnings about Brady when truth is, she should have seen it coming. She had known Brady was using, long before EJ pointed it out and she had neglected to do anything about it because she needed him around until she brought Victor down. If he'd ended up in rehab, she would have been left to face Victor on her own and thus, would have undoubtedly lost custody of Sawyer. It was punishment, she supposed, for taking advantage of Brady. Two weeks ago, she would have cursed herself for allowing such thoughts, even for the first few days immediately following the attack. However, as she struggled privately to cope with her loss, what started out as a faint little taunting voice which planted suggestions of her being at fault on occasion soon became the nagging bitch incessantly laying blame who just wouldn't shut the fuck up and go away, and the longer she was forced to listen to her, the more the witch started making sense. How could she blame Brady for what he'd done if it was her fault he wasn't getting the help he so desperately needed? She was so engrossed in reenacting the blame game that she hadn't even realized that she'd started to cry until EJ spoke.

"Alright, sweetheart, spill it. What's troubling you?"

She fell victim to his soft, soothing tone and comforting caresses and found herself breaking into a downright bawl. Here she was, in the arms of the only person who could ease her pain and suffering yet she knew that sharing her horror story with him, or anyone else for that matter, was not an option. If there was a silver lining in all of this, it was that, at the very least, EJ would be spared the agony of losing the child that she had failed to protect. But they had been down this road before, and she knew from experience that denying EJ of his right to properly grieve his loss, and especially within an appropriate time frame, on top of her deceit had nearly destroyed him. She was truly torn between wanting and needing to tell him and praying that she'd be able to keep her secret forever._ The truth always finds a way out, you should know that better than anyone, Nikki. Oh, shut up, Nicole!_

"Nikki, please, tell me what's wrong. You're scaring me."

With one, deep breath she immediately began to collect herself, knowing the harder she allowed herself to cry, the less likely EJ was to buy the load of crap she was about to offer him.

"I'm sorry, honey, everything's OK, really," she began to explain as she aided him in wiping the tears from her eyes. "I think I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed by everything, that's all."

"Overwhelmed how, sweetheart? You tell me what the problem is and I'll make it disappear. Simple."

"I know you would," she said as her fingers absently played with the top buttons of his dress shirt, repeatedly unfastening, then refastenting the same two. "But the truth is this is something that you really can't fix. It just has to go away on it's own."

"Alright, well can you at least be more specific about what's bothering you? Just talking about it can help, you know?"

"That's the thing. It's not just one thing, it's everything. I think the stress I've been under the last few months is just now getting to me, and I think that's because I was under the impression that when this day finally came, it would be like this huge weight was lifted off my shoulders because we all would finally be happy. But it's still there, and it just seems like we're always going to be facing some kind of bullshit and I'm just tired of it."

"I get it now," he replied understandingly as he squeezed her tightly and planted a loving kiss to her forehead. "This is about Johnny and Sydney, isn't it?"

"Mostly," she replied, finally feeling a bit of relief knowing he was taking the bait. Of course it was only so convincing because it was all true; Johnny and Sydney's well being was right up there alongside 'the incident' on the list of things that were plaguing her. Using the next closest thing to her grief over the baby was the only chance she had of successfully distracting him from finding out what Brady had done.

"Well I don't understand why you think we can't do anything about it. Johnny and Sydney WILL be coming home here, darling."

"I know, but I'm really worried about them with all the shit Sami's been feeding them. Sydney's little heart was already so broken when she and Belle had that incident at school, and I just know Sami has been pumping her and Johnny full of even more lies, just to stick it you for not choosing her over me, regardless if she wanted you back or not."

"Again, that is something we can repair. It will take some time, but I know that once they're in a more stable environment, surrounded by people who love them enough to put their needs first, they will be fine."

"As long as Sami is part of the picture, I'm not so sure. She's the part of this I was referring to that you just can't make go away."

"Actually, that is exactly what I intend to accomplish. We're suing for full custody, sweetheart. Samantha will be completely out of the picture, and-"

"I'm not sure that's the right thing to do," she interrupted, revealing a confession so shocking and confusing both that all EJ could do was stare at her like some two-headed monster. "I know what it's like to have a child ripped from your arms. I would never want to put another parent through that same agony."

He tightened his grip around her once more. "And that's because YOU are a wonderful mother, but consider who we're talking about here. Samantha is a horrible parent. She's using our children to punish me with ZERO concern for how much she's hurting them in the process. That's child abuse, any way you slice it. If YOU had been in YOUR mother's shoes, would you allow YOUR father to continue to have a relationship with YOU, after everything he did to you, simply because of the fact that he IS your father?"

"NO! OF COURSE NOT," she replied adamantly as she wriggled free of his embrace, with the sole purpose of providing him with a better view of her look of disgust. "What my father did, and what Sami is doing-"

"Are simply two different forms of equally damaging abuse. Look, I know you sympathize with her as a mother, but you know as well as I do that the only person Samantha truly cares about is herself. This isn't like our situation with Brady. We can't just ship Samantha off to rehab to be cured. If it's any consolation, you know this was a last resort. We tried to be fair with her sweetheart, for Johnny and Sydney's sake at least, but she's just not a reasonable person. Ultimately, this was her decision when you think about it, and it's not like we're going to forbid her from seeing them, as tempting as that idea is. She's simply not fit to raise a child twenty-four-seven. It'll be tough for a while until things get settled, but the key here is stability. From now on, home to Johnny, Sydney, and Sawyer, is here with us, and that is non-negotiable. I won't allow Samantha or Brady to uproot this family."

She slithered back to her former spot, letting his arms encompass her once more. Her head nuzzled it's way back in the crook between his chin and chest and when his hand began stroking her back soothingly, she closed her eyes and smiled contentedly. For a very long time, she had never sought out or even craved protection from another, let alone a man. As an unfortunate result of her father's abuse, and her mother's failure to put a stop to it, she vowed to never entrust anyone to do the job but herself, and that was exactly the way she had lived her life since moving far away from her father up until the point she met EJ. His vehement protectiveness of his family and his zero-tolerance policy for those who dared to mess with them was the very thing which made her fall in love with him. To those who threatened his family, he was a being so fierce that he couldn't be categorized into any known, existing species of man or animal. To those he loved, and specifically his children, he was gentle, kind, patient, forgiving, and about a gazillion other things you wouldn't expect from someone who at times could seem stiff, cold-hearted, and lethal. His one very minor flaw was that temper of his, but when it came to family, you could very well insert his picture into the passage explaining the "all bark and no bite" idiom as the perfect example. She imagined one could hear his ranting and raving from inside the mansion to as far as Horton Town Square when he was angry, and perhaps maybe the smash of a glass on occasion, but that was pretty much the brunt of it when it came to arguing with family. There were a few times when he'd grabbed her forcefully, and she had to admit, the first time it happened, she had been scared. She didn't know what to expect, and even though she thought she'd already had EJ DiMera pegged, there was always the slim chance she was wrong. But she wasn't wrong; EJ was not an abuser, he was just a very passionate person and when he grabbed her, he wasn't looking to inflict harm but rather seek her undivided attention. Not that she approved of this behavior; with children old enough to be affected by it in the house, it was something he would have to work on should they ever engage like that again, but she already suspected that the responsible parent in EJ already took this into consideration and would strive to keep himself under control in their presence. Outsiders were not exempt from his wrath however and if he were ever to find out what Brady had done, God help Brady Black and anyone who might try to stand in his way while seeking revenge. As if reading her mind, she found him tackling the very subject she'd hoped to avoid addressing for as long as she could get away with.

"Speaking of, by the way, how is Brady doing?"

The mere mention of his name caused her body to start trembling; a side effect she suffered whenever Brady's name was brought up post-attack that she needed not to concern herself with when those dicussions were only via phone. She couldn't think of him without being haunted by the memory of him being on top of her with his hands mercilessly wrapped around her throat, intent on squeezing the life from her no matter how desperately her fingernails clawed into his flesh as she tried to pry his hands free. Worst of all, she could still feel his knee grinding into her stomach as it sought out it's target and in an unconscious, instinctive move, her arms crossed her middle to offer a protective shield for the precious cargo it had once held inside.

She was jolted back to reality when suddenly EJ's hand was upon her forehead.

"Sweetheart? Nicole?" His firm hand planted on her shoulder was now shaking her gently, prompting her to completely snap out of her daze and meet his gaze. His eyes were glassy and full of worry, and a few beads of sweat had begun to form around his hairline. She tried to speak but her mouth only produced what could be best described as a croak, sending EJ on a trip back to the bar to fetch her a glass of water.

"Here you go. Drink."

She accepted the glass being handed to her, but her violently shaking hands sent the liquid lobbing over the side of it's container, forcing EJ to assist although at this point he wasn't so steady himself. He was incredibly alarmed by her current state and as a result, he could feel every drop of blood as it raced through his veins due to his panicked disposition. There was more to her story than being worried about Johnny and Sydney, he was sure, and whatever it was she didn't seem to want to share and that frightened him more than anything she could possibly throw at him. Secrets and lies had played the starring role in their undoing every time and as much as he himself hoped to live up to his promises of never lying to her again, deep down he knew that was a vow that he couldn't necessarily keep if, and only if, these possible insincerities were designed to protect her and the children. It was entirely possible that Nicole was doing that just now but, the difference here was, whatever it was that she was harboring was tearing her up inside and for that reason alone, he couldn't let himself turn a blind eye or deaf ear to her suffering.

If he had learned one important lesson from his past dealings with Nicole, it was that pressing her would get him absolutely nowhere, at least not for a while. If she was intent on keeping her secret a secret, the only thing an interrogation would accomplish would be forcing her to spew lies to cover her tracks. Over time, inconsistencies in her story would allow him to back her into a corner and confront her, leaving her no choice but to finally speak the truth. It was a road they'd been down several times before but, to be fair, Nicole wasn't always the one at fault. Their roles had been reversed many times which was the very reason why he could speak of her actions with such authority. He had a deep understanding of what motivated her to lie only because, in that field, like many of their other character traits, they were cut from the same cloth.

"Sweetheart, please, tell me what's wrong. You're pale, and shaking, and I don't know where you went just now but you were a million miles away wherever it was. Are you feeling ill? Is something or someone upsetting you, threatening you, pissing you off? Did something happen while we're apart that I don't know about that you want to get off your mind? Please, talk to me. Whatever is going on, we can work it out." He knew that stating his open-door policy was as far as he would go, at least for now, but as he watched her struggle to maintain her composure, throwing her head back to force the tears that were threatening to fall once more back where they came from, he began to question just how long he would be able to honor the terms.

Finally, after a few deep breaths she was able to pull herself together enough to reply. "I'm fine, honey, really. Everything is fine. I realize I probably don't sound very convincing," she explained, throwing in a chuckle for good measure, "but it's true. You know, when I was so focused on doing what I had to do, I knew I couldn't allow myself to fall apart but now, it's over, and you're here and-"

Next thing he knew, she was on top of him, her knees straddling his legs as she hugged him passionately to the point of slight discomfort but it was hardly enough to elicit a protest, especially considering he was probably holding onto her every bit as tight. Although he couldn't see her face, he knew she had indeed begun to cry when he felt the moistened fabric of his shirt cling to his shoulder. It was all beginning to come together now. Maybe it was nothing more than a breakdown of sorts, perfectly understandable for the enormous responsibility she'd taken on with so few people she could turn to for support. Her tears were quite deceptive as he considered Nicole to be a remarkably strong woman who really didn't know her own strength and in all likelihood, she had dismissed her needs for someone to lean on, viewing it as a sign of weakness, when, in reality, all she was doing was denying herself of the basic human need for love and compassion. But now things had changed. She'd won her battle and in her victory, she gained back her partner and the one person whom she wasn't afraid to show her vulnerable side to, resulting in a massive download of complicated mixed emotions that had been kept in storage for months. It was entirely possible that a good cry and someone, specifically him, to hold her was all she really needed to be as good as new.

"Yes, darling, I am here, thanks to you. It's all over now. We're a family again and I swear to you, if anyone or anything should dare to come between us again, the next one is on me. And the one after that, and the one after that."

At this point, her inner voice began to scream, causing an agonized moan to escape as the voice's desperate pleas registered._ Tell him, Nikki! You need to tell him what Brady did! This isn't like when you thought you lost Belle. You're not going to lose EJ too, you know that now. You need to let him grieve with you before it's too late and the truth comes out! Don't worry about what he'll do to Brady! If anyone can stop him from doing something stupid, it's you._ But Nikki knew there had to be a better way. She agreed with Nicole up to a point; EJ needed to know, but Nikki didn't share Nicole's concern for Brady's fate. Nikki wanted Brady to pay for what he did and to be out of her and her son's life for good. EJ was right, and deep down she knew it too; just because some son-of-a-bitch was a child's biological parent didn't mean they were entitled to a relationship with the child. She was disgusted with herself for even considering letting Sawyer around him again after what he'd done, not only to her but Sawyer himself when he'd sent his son's unmanned stroller, with Sawyer secured inside, careening toward the wall at top-speed just before he attacked her. She never did get a straight answer out of anyone if the stroller had fallen, but she could at least see with her own eyes when she finally got to see him upon her hospital release that he was thankfully unharmed. Even with this new perspective, it still stood true that she never wanted Sawyer to find out what Brady had done to either one of them, and for this reason, an attempt to bring Brady to justice for the crime was not an option, leaving just one remaining solution.

But again, that solution only presented new problems. The only way she could tell EJ the truth was to get Brady out of the picture first. Nikki knew better; as long as Brady were alive, EJ wouldn't rest until he got his revenge and if something 'terrible' were to happen to Brady, you best believe that a distorted version of what really happened that day would suddenly surface, and John Black would no doubt immediately finger EJ and herself as the prime suspects. There had to be something, or better, someone, else that would be responsible for his demise. Someone who had the skills and self-control needed to make his death appear to be nothing more than an unfortunate accident, and she had just the person in mind: Xander. It was perfect. Now that she had figured out a solution to her problem, she took comfort in knowing that her secret would only be a short-term one and, one day soon, she would be able to tell EJ everything.

"What happened? Come on, sweetheart, talk to me."

The desperation in his voice jolted her back into tough-girl mode. Her poor honey was freaking out and as the woman who loved him dearly, she wanted nothing more than to put him at ease. His well-being was reason A-number-one of course, but coming in at a close second was erasing the suspicions raised as a result of her mini-meltdown by finally getting her shit together. She pulled herself upright, regretfully freeing herself of his comforting embrace only so she could offer him some much -needed reassurance in return. They were face to face now, and she took that beautiful, handsome face belonging to her one and only into her hands, smiling complacently as she peered into his eyes.

"I'm OK now. I think I just needed to get that out of my system."

He took one of her hands which cupped his chin and relocated it to his mouth so he could place a kiss to it. She was indeed in a noticeably, much-improved state, but he knew her well enough to know it was only a cover. He was more sure now than ever that she was keeping something from him and although he was still on-board with his original plan not to push her on the issue just yet, he felt compelled to offer one last open invitation to get whatever was bothering her off her chest by suggesting a topic or two he suspected might be the culprit.

"I know you've been through a lot, and after reading your letter I know there was a hell of a lot more going on than you cared to share with me."

"You weren't supposed to read that unless something happened to me."

"Why? Did you not plan on sharing with me at all what happened between you and Xander?"

And just like that, without any initiation on her behalf, her cover began to construct itself. "No, I wasn't going to tell you, then or now" she surprisingly admitted. "But only because I didn't want you to go flying off the hook and doing something stupid that would either get you locked up or killed."

"But you told me in the letter."

"Only because if Xander was the one responsible for my disappearance, I knew you could find me alive. He wouldn't hurt me. In all honestly, I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for him. He was only trying to protect me."

Nicole watched with interest as EJ's eyes narrowed. She knew that look all too well. He was jealous of the man that she had used and tossed aside like a worn-out toy, all in the name of fighting for HIS freedom, and now she was about to use him again. This was perfect. It was just the distraction she needed. If EJ was more focused on worrying about her relationship with Xander, the incident with Brady just might fly under the radar until it was time to share after all.

"So what am I supposed to do? Ignore the fact that he kidnapped you, and is obviously obsessed with you, and invite him over for some tributary dinner in his honor so I can shake his hand? Of course I want to kill the bloody bastard for even looking at you, never mind putting his hands...god only knows where." Suddenly, what was previously just a moderately concerned expression had transformed into a look of complete horror. "Oh my god, Nikki, did he-"

"No," she replied quickly and adamantly enough to put up an immediate blockade for the direction the conversation was taking. "No, he didn't touch me, or hurt me, or make any...unwelcome moves, ok? He was a perfect gentleman at all times. But just so there aren't any secrets, I will tell you that he did kiss me one time." Of course there still was one huge secret regarding her time spent thus far with Xander Cook that she couldn't share, and that was that he was the only person outside of those directly involved who knew about the baby, which presented it's share of concerns. If EJ were to catch on that she was sniffing around Xander, there was no doubt in her mind that there would be multiple confrontations between the two, increasing the chance that Xander could expose her secret. Then again, if he truly cared for her and lived up to his promises, he wouldn't, she knew it, but that wouldn't stop her from doing everything possible to remain in his good graces.

EJ squeezed his eyes together tightly as he performed a single turn of inhaling then exhaling deeply, as one does when struggling to control their temper. Through gritted teeth, he inquired, "Did you kiss him back?"

"No, it wasn't even on the lips," she answered frankly, and with genuine indifference. "He kissed me goodbye on the forehead the last time I saw him."

"Which was?"

"In Chicago, a few days after we got Brady settled into rehab."

"Oh, I see. So I'M not allowed to come see you while you're in Chicago, but Xander Cook gets an open invite! Did you roll out the red carpet for him as well, darling?"

"I didn't invite him, OK? God, can we please just drop it? All I've been wanting to do for months is hold you and you-"

She was interrupted by a kiss that clearly conveyed his feelings long before the actual verbal proclamations were made.

"I'm sorry," he whispered with their foreheads pressed together and his lips still lingering mere millimeters from hers when they finally parted. "I just love you so much and, for the record, I'm not worried that you have feelings for Xander, alright? I'm concerned because we know he has feelings for you and I worry he might be holding something over you to keep you close."

"Well, he's not, OK? Trust me. Everything is going to be fine."

"Yeah, I know it is because I'm keeping a very close eye on Mr. Cook, and if he comes anywhere near you-"

"Don't be so dramatic. We live in the same town so we're bound to run into one another on occasion. How about instead we do this: if Xander in any way starts bothering me, I will let you know exactly what happened and by all means, you can do whatever you feel is necessary."

"Why are you being so protective of him?"

"Because, honey, Xander is not the enemy, OK? He helped us, or we just kinda helped each other out I guess. Look, he knows exactly where I stand and he's not going to do anything about it."

"Well then, if he's supposedly not so concerned with you, why in the hell has he decided to take up residence here?"

"Because he's probably trying to salvage whatever he can out of Victor's estate and maintain some of the business relationships he was involved in so he can get himself established again."

"As if anyone is going to side themselves with a rat. He just needs to go and crawl into the gutter where he belongs now."

She briefly considered continuing to engage with him over Xander, but decided that was enough for tonight. At the very least, she managed to successfully plant the seed which would eventually sprout suspicions over time as he observed her interactions with the Kiriakis cast-away. Of course her meetings with Xander were going to be under close observation which meant she needed to play this thing right. With the good chance that their future encounters could be photographed and/or recorded both auditorily and visually, two very important details could never be verbally discussed. She must not permit any talk about the incident or the baby, and she could never allow the words that she wanted Brady Black dead to escape her lips. It was going to be tricky, but as of now, it was her only hope in saving her family from ruin once more.


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Three Days Later

EJ laid in bed quietly, alternating between curling Nicole's long hair around his fingers and stroking her back as she laid sleeping in his arms with her head on his chest. She was sleeping soundly now and although he realized the idea was completely ridiculous, he couldn't help but think that was because he was awake to stand guard and ward off any evil-doers trying to get to her in her sleep. For the third night in a row, in all three days since they were finally back together, she had woken up from a nightmare in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder.

On the first occurrence, he thought that was precisely what was happening along with everyone else on the premises. Within seconds, he was on his feet, fresh off a deep sleep, ready to go running to her rescue wherever she was. The four men guarding the property, along with Mary and Harold, had also reported to the scene in less than a minute's time, all to discover that she had been safe in her bed all along. It had taken a good thirty minutes to calm her down to the point where she could at least breathe normally again, and another half an hour spent tending to the children, who had been heard by Mary crying from inside their rooms, before she was ready and able to talk about her dream. It was about her father, or so she claimed in attempt to sell him her story. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time she'd had a nightmare about the scumbag during their time together, but they were rather rare and never remotely as alarming. Her accounts of the past three night's dreams were nothing that he hadn't heard before, forcing him to regretfully draw the conclusion that she was still intent on covering up something. For the past two nights, it was merely a repeat performance aside from the fact that the audience was now well familiar with the script and knew precisely what to expect and when. Still, the anticipation of the event didn't make it any less affecting; if anything, he was growing increasingly worried each night the nightmares continued.

He had managed to fall asleep normally the night before, when a second episode had not been anticipated, but as they settled into bed for night number three, he found himself lying awake, holding her protectively as he waited for the dream to commence. At some point, he must have convinced himself that two episodes was the end of it, giving him the green light to fall asleep which of course was when he found himself awakened with a terrifying jolt once more. Now, even though he was completely exhausted, he couldn't see himself going back to sleep if he tried. Lack of sleep was dead last on his list of worries, with what to do about Nicole being right at the top.

It really wasn't the lying which bothered him so much. If after everything she did for him, for their family, there was still a doubt in his mind concerning where her heart lay he was nothing but a damn fool. With that possible cause for her deceit quickly eliminated, that left only two remaining options; she was either protecting someone or she was in some kind of trouble, and he was leaning toward the latter thanks to the nightmares. Before their conversation regarding Xander, he was sure if anyone was threatening her it would be him, but now he wasn't so certain. His monitoring of the skirt-wearing bastard was so far uneventful and Nicole had sincerely seemed unaffected by the mention of his name. So if it wasn't Xander, and Victor himself was no longer a threat, who else did that leave? Brady.

EJ shook his head at his own stupidity. Of course it was Brady. He had been suspicious of the whole Vegas scenario from the start. With Victor in prison, Nicole was free and clear to come home to her children, but she didn't and he should have known right then and there that she was in some kind of trouble. Even if Brady was truly her number one BFF, absolutely no one came before their children to Nicole, not even himself. Suddenly, his mind was bombarded by a dozen horrifying images all at once which were basically different variations of two possible scenarios: Brady abusing and/or raping her. Her homecoming had been delayed for more than two weeks, why? So she could heal from whatever he did to her? And now, for three consecutive nights that she was home, she had passed on having sex, giving him the excuse that she was just too tired when, while she was in Vegas with Brady, nearly ever single phone call of theirs had involved some talk of how badly she wanted him to ravage her when she came home. Disturbingly, it was all making sense now.

The rage was building inside, but with Nicole still sleeping peacefully in his arms, he struggled to calm himself down. He tried shifting all his negative energy toward comforting her, but all that accomplished was waking her when his arms closed around her too tightly.

"I feel like I'm in bed with a boa-constrictor," she murmered sleepily, throwing in a smile to suggest her comment wasn't necessarily a complaint. When she got no response, she glanced up at his face and immediately realized there was trouble brewing. He was staring up at the ceiling as if deep in thought, and even though it was still relatively dark in the room, she could see the veins bulging in his neck. She wriggled free of his embrace and switched on the light on her nightstand so she could get a better look. His face and neck were nearly purple from what she could only imagine was anger. It was the very same way he looked whenever she envisioned him finding out what Brady had done.

"Hey," she began, her voice filled with concern as she leaned in close to his head, propping hers up on her hand while her other free one stroked his face gently and attempted to redirect his gaze to her face. "What's wrong?"

"What really happened between you and Brady in Vegas?" Immediately, he was horrified by being too direct, but he knew himself well enough to know that there was no stopping him now.

"What do you mean? Like when? I already told you everything."

The classic deer-in-headlights look paired with a faint crackle in her voice completely gave her away. She tried to cover of course by quickly following with an exaggerated shake of her head, but he could see the panic in her eyes as he began to close in on the truth which he presumed would only result in her digging herself into a deeper hole than she was already in.

"Did Brady do anything to...hurt you?"

His heart sank as he watched her struggle to stay strong, but her inner battle was a short lived one. Nicole was most successful pulling off her schemes when under pressure, and within seconds, she managed to produce an artificial smile which could fool most everyone. To him, it didn't matter what was said from here on out. He got all the answer he needed in those first five transitional seconds.

Nicole however knew very well by the way EJ was looking at her that she was screwed, leaving her no other option but to manufacture a diversion, and quick. She allowed the fake smile to fade away back to the same look that EJ had just read like a book. Hopefully, with a little tweaking, she could convince him that what he gathered was merely a rough translation of the original story at best.

"No, Brady didn't hurt me..." there was a long, purposeful pause for dramatic effect before she continued on with the revelation. "But you're right to assume that this has something to do with him. Not the nightmares...I really can't tell you why after all this time I started dreaming about my father again, but maybe it's because in a way I feel he was right about me."

It wasn't the response he was looking for. Obviously she was trying to divert the discussion away from Brady, but at this point he had no choice but to humor her. "Sweetheart, please, what on earth are you talking about," he replied incredulously as he held her tightly, using one arm to pull her head firmly to his chest where he could plant a kiss to her forehead. "Your father was a piece of shit, you know that, so why are you letting him get back in your head? And what in the world does Brady have to do with it?"

"There were certain things I promised myself, and you, that I would never do when I got myself all tangled up in this mess," she murmered with her lips touching the flesh of his chest and her fingers tracing the outlines of his well-defined muscles. Her next sentence came in barely more than a whisper. "I swore to myself, no matter what, I would never, ever be...unfaithful to you."

Of course it was a lie, as was the nightmares being about her father, but even still, at this point it was better than telling him the truth, even knowing that it would sting him a little bit, which she could tell it in fact did when he stopped breathing for a few beats after her revelation. Not only was he not breathing, he was still, and silent and for a moment, her father's words did come back to haunt her. _You think any man worth a shit would really want to spend the rest of their lives with a used up whore like yourself?_

"EJ. Say something, please."

His breathing grew deeper and his stationary hands suddenly came back to life and began carressing her tenderly once again.

"I'm sorry, you just took me by surprise is all. Look, I know how much you strived to refrain from doing so, but sweetheart, I thought I made it clear that if you found yourself in a spot, I would understand that you were only doing what you needed to do."

He could no longer feel her heart pounding into his chest which told him that his reaction to her supposed indiscretion put her at ease. Trouble was, he was was certain that her relief stemmed more from the notion that he was buying the load of crap that she was feeding him rather than the fact that he actually would have forgiven the act she claimed to have committed.

"You did, but still, I have my own set of standards, and that's something I promised myself I wouldn't do."

"So why did you then? Did he pressure you, or force himself on you?"

"No," she was quick to answer, followed by propping herself up onto her side once more to properly engage in the conversation which was beginning to take an unanticipated turn. "Well, yes and no. I supposed I felt pressured at times, but he never forced himself on me, ok, so please, just get that idea out of your head right now." Thankfully, at least those statements were true, and she could tell that her answer had convinced him as much. "I guess I just felt at the time that he was beginning to grow suspicious of my reasons for not wanting to be intimate with him, and that having sex with him was the only solution. Ever since then, I just constantly hear my father's voice taunting me in the back of my head, and no matter what I say to him, I can't make him go away."

He wanted to stop her right there and call her on her bullshit, tell her to cut the crap and tell him what was really going on, but that was not how to work Nicole. He'd already given her ample opportunity to open up but whatever it was she was hiding, she was determined to keep it to herself and deal with the problem on her own. His only chance at successfully intervening now was to go along with her story and try to figure out what was going on on his own.

"Maybe I can make him go away," he said as he turned on his side to mirror her position, using an arm hooked around her waist to inch himself into full, unobstacled body contact. "Listen here, you son of a bitch," he began whispering gruffly in her ear, "despite your pathetic attempts to destroy your daughter's life, she has become the most incredibly strong, smart, resourceful, loving, and loyal wife and mother that anyone could ever hope for, so nobody really gives a fuck about your opinion. Just go on back and burn in hell where you belong so I can make love to my wife."

He had been immediately regretful for uttering those words so presumably after she had shown much disinterest in sex for their first few nights back together, but his worries were quickly dismissed when she had thrown her arms around his neck and rolled onto her back, pulling him into position along with her. They made love passionately, returning to the pattern started since reuniting of every time being better than the last. Afterward, as they lay contently in each others arms while slowly drifiting off to sleep, he briefly considered that just maybe he had been wrong and she had been telling the truth after all until he was awoken by yet another blood-curdling scream a few hours later.


End file.
